The Second War
by Era-chan
Summary: An AU two years after EW. A new threat to peace was found, and the GW boys have to vanquish it. Pairings: 1xRP, 2xHS, 3xMU, 4xD, 5xMC, 6x9. -ON HIATUS-
1. Part 1

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The Second War

Part 1

By Era-chan

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In all the days gone by since the war ended, and the months since that catastrophe during Christmas Eve, peace reigned afterwards.We see the people who played great roles during the two events going on with their lives.Each are moving on, trying to live for the future.Yet the shadows of the past still lives on.And people, thought of as lost and dead, are coming back, to receive the redemption that they need to move on.Forgiveness and past loves play a role during this time of limbo, the time between true peace and recovering livelihood.Thus, this is where the story takes place.And this is where the new disaster will come to the fore…

The young woman, so young to hold the title of Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere United Nation, sat and stared out at the endless space from her window.She frowned as she contemplated the duties she has back on Earth, the troubles that were still apparent even after two years.She was 18 now, a young adult.Yet she didn't feel that way.She still felt like the young girl she was during that war and afterwards.Having this job should have had made her feel grown up, but still, why should she act like one.She was still a young girl, supposed to be enjoying a normal teenage life.Of course she never did have a normal life, being the adopted daughter of the belated Prime Minister of the disbanded Earth Federation, being the princess of the long-ago Cinq Kingdom, and now her current title as the Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere United Nation.

But it was already too late for getting what she secretly wants.It was too late.For her heart and secret desire.The young woman now calling herself Relena Peacecraft continued to gaze absently out of the window, musing over her life.

In a distant colony, part of the L3 cluster of colonies, a blonde girl typed furiously at what she was doing.She kept her senses on full alert, knowing that any one could find her at any given time.She waited impatiently as the data began to download at the micro disk that she had brought with her.Dimly she felt the cold air in the room, ignoring it as was part of her nature.She had become the person she had always remembered, yet held deep in her heart.The irony of it was damning.What she wouldn't wish to see his face right now.She guessed that he would have that mask still on his face, gazing at her like the lost boy he had been.She wondered at how he was doing now, but swiftly let the thought go.She had a mission to finish and any disturbances were unwanted.

When the disk was full and all the data had been downloaded, she quickly erased any traces that could link her to the disappearance of the information she had taken with her.She knew that she was not that good with computers, but she was grateful that it wasn't too hard to hack into the main database, thanks to her training being a spy.Holding the disk firmly in her grasp, she cautiously slithered out of the room, hoping against hope that she could get out of the compound alive.The disk was the key to halting another war from coming to the fore.And she would guard it with her life.It was the only way she could repay for the actions she took in the past.The only way to repay him.With that in mind, the blonde young woman known as Midii Une, returned back to her mission.

Silently the Asian girl washed the dishes, ignoring the loud noises from the restaurant.How she had come to this, she never know.Once she had been the proud successor to the Dragon clan.Now here she was, a dishwasher to boot.At least she wasn't a geisha, or the more demeaning roles the girls from the streets were.She dimly remembered being blown up with the Mobile suit that she had been using, trying to protect her colony.Luckily, or unluckily, in her view, she had just been floating in space.A space ship, full of miners, had found her and the doctor of the ship treated her.She had been in a coma for the rest of the flight, and had full-blown amnesia through the rest of the war and afterwards.Until a few weeks ago, she began to remember bits and pieces of her past, thanks to stumbling into an old article from a trashed newspaper about the explosion of the L5 colonies.From that, her memories had come slowly.She knew that she was married at the age of 14, meaning four years ago.She was the proud heir to the Dragon clan, or rather the only survivor of the clan.

Meiran Chang dried the last remaining dishes and took off the apron she wore.Even though she was thankful that one of the miners had a relative who owned a restaurant, it was still ironic that she was put into this lowly position to survive.Turning toward the door leading to the dining room, she shouted to her boss that she was leaving and left through the back door.No matter what happened to her, she would survive.That is what she would do, in memory to her clan, and to the husband she secretly cared about.

The blonde young woman stared at herself and sighed.She eyed the long hair that she kept the same length since two years ago, the eyebrows that were her trademark, and the sinister looking gray eyes that held no emotions that were anything but kind.

With a sob, she covered her face with her hands, the echo of his voice loud in her mind.She isn't kind, not like him. Never like him.How can she hurt a guy, the guy that is like so much like her father, who had died during that detesting war.No, she wasn't kind.

After she was done crying, she stood up and went to the packed suitcase.It was time to visit him.She always visit him, though in a distance.She wanted to see if he was all right.It had become a ritual to see if he was all right.She always comes during this time, always at the same day.And when she was satisfied that he was okay, she would leave.But those times was always torture for her.She wanted to come up to him and apologize for what she did.She wanted to bask in his light and hope that he cared enough about her, like she cared about him.She never told herself that she liked him, more than liked him, during the past.But ever since that accident, she had come face to face with her feelings, for him and for the girl who she considered her best friend.

Without a backward glance, Dorothy Catalonia walked out of the room and to the airport, where she would board the plane going to the L4 colony.

Relena sighed as she sat down at one of the seats, waiting for her private plane to fix the problem that happened during the flight.She was on one of the airports at the L3 colony.She hoped that it would be done soon.Though, and here Relena stared down at the briefcase on her lap, her destination was not much better.

"Miss Relena?"

Relena stared up in surprise and met the gray eyes of Dorothy Catalonia.She stood up and put aside her briefcase.

"Dorothy, what a nice surprise."

Dorothy smiled.With a small gesture, she gestured to the seat next to her."May I sit beside you, Miss Relena?"

"Why of course.Go ahead, Dorothy."  
The two young ladies sat down.

"How come you are here, Miss Relena?"

Relena smiled ruefully."My plane had some maintenance problem.I'm waiting right now for it to get fixed."

"I see."

Relena turned to stare at the blonde."What about you?How come you are here?"

Dorothy smiled."This is one of the stops before I reach my destination."

Relena didn't ask for more.She felt that the other young woman wasn't ready to give up where she was going.So she began small talk.

The two talked about anything, like the current occurrences in politics, the media, anything but the past.An Asian girl who stood in front of them interrupted them.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

The two young women shook their head.The Asian girl, about the same age as them, smiled and sat down.Relena, being the hostess that she was, turned to her and started a conversation.At first the girl was reluctant, but soon she relaxed and began to chat back.Relena learned that she was from one of the L5 colonies and that she was the last survivor of the Dragon clan.In return, Meiran found out who Relena and Dorothy were.

Meiran gasped."I'm sorry.I didn't know that you were the Vice Foreign Minister."

Dorothy raised an eyebrow."Everyone knows who Miss Relena is."

Meiran flushed but sat proudly."I pretty kept much to myself."

Relena smiled."Don't worry, Meiran.I'm glad that there is someone out there who doesn't know me.My job held many responsibilities."

The three young women continued to talk and the minutes flew.Finally, Relena's plane was fixed and she stood up.She turned to the other two and smiled.

"Well, it looks like I have to go.I hope to hear from you two.Here," and she took out two cards."Here is my private phone number.Call me when you feel like it.Hopefully I'll be free when you do."

Meiran took the card and Dorothy took the other.As they took it, an explosion erupted.Without a single thought, Meiran threw herself at the two girls.They crashed on the floor.Relena's bodyguards, who had been nearby, ran towards the three fallen women.When they arrived, they surrounded them, looking to see where the threat was.

One of them grabbed Relena and hauled her up.

"Miss Peacecraft.We better go."

Relena turned to look down at the other two young women and made a decision.She turned to the bodyguard."I want you to bring this two with us."

The man hid his surprise."As you wish, Miss Peacecraft."He gave a look to the other two.They obeyed and grabbed each of them.Looking around, the bodyguards hustled the three women down the rampart and toward the plane.

As they disappeared, a young woman ran through the airport, narrowly missing the gunshots aimed for her.Grimly she turned her head, looking for a way out.Spotting a rampart, she went straight through it, disappearing down the dark hall.She still clutched the disk in her hand.

Relena sat down on the nearest seat when the three women were bustled into the plane.She gave an apologetic look at the other two young women.

"I'm sorry about that.But I really didn't want you two to get hurt.I don't know what happened, but I consider you my friends.And I don't like to see my friends get hurt."

Dorothy felt a lump in her throat after that admission.She didn't have friends at all, and she felt gratitude that the foreign minister and young woman had considered her a friend.

Meiran felt the same way.The friends she had when she had lived in the L5 colony were gone and she hadn't made any friends ever since she had been rescued.This young woman she had met a couple of hours ago had befriended her, even though they had just met.It was gratifying to be friends with someone.Ever since that battle that changed her life, she had changed considerably.She hadn't been that cold and standoffish.Being the only survivor, or so she thought, had made her feel proud.Yet the harsh reality had made her what she is today.A girl who keeps to herself, yet friendly, unlike her late husband, who she remembered always studying too much and keeping to himself whenever they were together.Yet she still loved him.No matter what, they were the same in some aspects.And that was the building block to their relationship.And now, she had friends.

Meiran smiled."No need to apologize.I would have done a similar action as you did."

Dorothy agreed."So would I."

The three young women settled down and waited for the plane to take off.The bodyguards had left the three, going off to inspect if everything is all right.Before the door closed, a blur went in as it closed. It was too late to back off now.The plane was already about to take off and whoever the intruder was, it was about to be taken care of.

Meiran reacted as soon as she sensed the danger.Without a thought, she used her martial arts skills to hurt the intruder.The bodyguards came up next.

But before she could lay a finger on the intruder, it collapsed.

Relena immediately came up to see who it was.She undoubtedly could tell it was a woman.Grimly but gently, she knelt next to the intruder and looked her over to see if she had any injuries.She gasped when she saw the blood gushing out of the wound near the woman's side.Without a single thought, she began to help the poor young woman.

The bodyguards protested.

"Miss Peacecraft, it is too dangerous.What if she was-"

"No," Relena said firmly."I think she was the one that they were after."

Meiran and Dorothy were piqued.

"Why do you think that, Miss Relena?" Dorothy asked while she leaned to see how the young woman was paring.

"Because of this."Relena held up the disk.She turned to her bodyguards."Tell the pilot to go now."

The bodyguards immediately reacted to the authority in the foreign minister's voice."Yes, ma'am."

When the bodyguards left to talk to the pilot, Relena went back to the injured young woman.Meiran decided to help.She knelt next to Relena."Here, let me.I got some experience on this."

Relena knew a capable hand when she saw one so she let the Chinese girl to bound the girl up.Dorothy helped the foreign minister up.

"Miss Relena, you are way too nice."

Relena smiled in irony."Maybe.But at least I know when I see a good person when I meet them."

Dorothy smiled back, understanding what the foreign minister meant.

Meiran had done all she could and now looked up at the other two women."Can you help me get her to a seat.It would be better than where she is now."

Dorothy and Relena nodded.They helped Meiran get the injured woman into a seat, letting the backrest down so that the woman would be lying down comfortably.Relena had put back the disk, giving the woman what she would likely asked for when she woke up.

The plane lifted off.The three young women sat down comfortably, trying not to speculate about what is going on.Now and then, Meiran checked to see the condition of the injured woman.A long silence ensued, a comfortable one, at least.Finally, it was Dorothy who broke the silence.

Dorothy turned to Relena."Miss Relena, where are we going, actually?"

Relena flushed."Oh, I'm so sorry.I didn't even think about where you were going.I'm really sorry I brought you to somewhere else."

Meiran shrugged."It doesn't matter to me.Where I'm going isn't really a home to me.I was going to L4 for a vacation.Don't worry, I didn't have any reservations to come to."

Dorothy gazed out of the window."And where I was about to go doesn't matter.I know I would react the same way if I were in your position.Probably he-no _they_ would too."

Relena understood what Dorothy meant."Maybe.But I sure know that _he_ wouldn't."

Dorothy and Relena shared a look of understanding.Meiran, not knowing whom they were talking about, didn't butt in.Instead, she checked her patient to see if she was awake.

Relena continued on."Anyway, I was about to head to Earth.Do you mind if I bring all of you with me?"

Dorothy and Meiran shook their heads.

Relena smiled."Good.Then that's taken care of.Now then, I got some refreshments with me.What do you want, ladies?"

The rest of the flight was spent socializing with each other.The stowaway was still unconscious when the plane docked at the airport.The bodyguards hadn't found anything to tell them why there was an explosion.All they do know is that it had to do with the unconscious woman with them.Relena didn't let them do anything with her.Whoever she was, Relena felt that she would never harm them.The bodyguards relented, but kept their thoughts to themselves.They would tell their boss, the person who hired them and told them to keep an eye on her, plus give a daily report about her to him.Though they didn't know who hired them, they knew when to follow orders.It was told to them, by mouth by the foreign minister's brother, that the one, who recommended them to be Miss Peacecraft's bodyguards, had looked over their background thoroughly and had told him their good work.So Miliardo Peacecraft, or Zechs Marquise, had hired them without a single retort.However, Miliardo Peacecraft had handed them an envelope before he and Lucrezia Noin had left to Mars.All that he said was that this was given to him for them to read.And when the bodyguards had read the letter that was inside the envelope, it was specific instructions as to what their duties were.And that they are under _his_ supervision, not Miliardo's.Somehow, the bodyguards sensed that whoever hired them was not someone to be taken on lightly.So the bodyguards guarded the foreign minister seriously.Or else face the wrath of their mysterious boss.And that wouldn't be pretty, they were sure about that.

So even though they didn't say anything to the foreign minister, they were thinking about what they were going to say to their boss.While most of them were going with the four women, one of them got away and went to report to their boss.So when they arrived at the private airport on Earth, the bodyguard given the task of reporting what happened to his boss slipped away immediately upon arrival.He didn't even want to think how his boss would react to his news that Miss Peacecraft was almost near an explosion.Luckily, the three women didn't notice the man missing, so intent over their patient that they didn't see the man separate from the group.

Midii came to after a few hours had elapse since she had fell unconscious in the plane.Immediately upon awakening, she put her hands to where she put the disk and relaxed as she felt it in her hand.That thought made her suspicious.She had put the disk inside her shirt pocket and now it was in her hand.She looked around and realized that she was in a private clinic, from the elegant furniture in the room.She quickly sensed that the room was under surveillance, which was proven correct when she saw a blinking yellow light behind a plant near the far right corner.

The door opened and a young woman walked in.Midii instantly recognized the vice foreign minister of the Earth Sphere United Nation.She struggled to sit up but Relena Peacecraft held her down.

Relena saw the questions in the blonde woman's eyes and gave her a reassuring smile."You're in my private clinic, inside my home.You'll be safe here."When Relena felt the young woman relax, she straightened up."I presume that you already know me so I won't introduce myself."

Midii nodded."Relena Peacecraft."Sensing that she should give the foreign minister a name, she blurted out, "Midii.Midii Une."

Relena raised a brow at the surprise on the young woman's face as she told Relena her name.She sensed that the girl would have given her a false name, yet the name Midii, Relena felt, was the girl's true name.She frowned.Une.The young woman said her name was Midii Une.

"Did you say Une?"

Midii stared at the foreign minister, a mask on her face.Cautiously, she replied, "Yes, I did."

Relena ignored the look Midii was giving her, used to a far worse look from a certain someone."Do you, pray chance, know a person called Ann Une?"

Midii nodded."She's a distant cousin of mine.Second cousins, I think."

Relena smiled brightly."Thank goodness. Now I can bring you to Lady Une to recuperate."

Midii frowned."Lady Une?"

Relena nodded."Lady Une, or Ann Une, is what she calls herself.I personally know her."She put her hand down on one of Midii's and squeezed it."I think that you two would feel better if you have company.Even though Lady Une has Merimeai, she will be delighted to see you.Say, do you have family?"

Midii lowered her eyes so that she wouldn't stare at the kind eyes, eyes that had showed the same emotion as him."No."It was said in a stiff voice.

Relena understood and squeezed the hand again."What happened?"

Midii knew that the foreign minister wasn't butting in, just curious.Swallowing, she replied, "My father died and my brothers are in an orphanage."

Relena stared at the lowered head on the bed."You are giving them money."It was a statement, not a question.

Midii nodded."It's better if they don't see me after what I did."

A long silence ensued until Relena broke it.

"Whatever you had done in the past, I think that your brothers would understand and forgive you.In wars, you don't know what you are doing, being untrue to yourself.So don't worry, they'll welcome you with open arms."

Midii looked up and stared at the compassionate eyes.Slowly she smiled.Relena smiled back.She released Midii's hand and went to a side table.

Conversationally, Relena said, "You lost a medium of blood but that was all.You'll be fine and as good as new before that accident."She poured orange juice in a glass from the refreshments on the table.

That reminded Midii of the disk.When Relena came back with the orange juice, Midii took the other girl's hand.Surprised, Relena paused.With that chance, Midii began her story.

"The disk that I have has important information.If it goes to the wrong hands, another war would begin if I don't give this to the Preventers.Can you help me?"

Relena stared at Midii, searching her face.Then she nodded."I trust you.I think that I can help you."Putting down the orange juice on the table beside the bed, Relena went to the vidphone and dialed.The call came through and a young man's face appeared.He had on a Preventer's uniform.

"Tell Lady Une and Sally Po that an emergency meeting is needed.Now."

The young man nodded and the communication went off.

Relena turned back to Midii."Now all we have to do is wait."

Two young women arrived at the Peacecraft mansion, the home of the Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere United Nation.One was Lady Ann Une, who founded the Preventers.The other was Sally Po, a Preventer who was the same age as the brunette walking beside her.Her partner, Wufei Chang, hadn't come because he had been in a mission, one that he was very happy doing alone.Sally didn't mind, since she instinctively knew that he wanted to work alone, since he was a Gundam pilot.Though being a Preventer took a lot of her time, she still had some left to go out and have some fun.During one of her free time, she met John Gilman, a former soldier during the war.They were now dating and hopefully they would get married soon.That was testament of the diamond ring on Sally's finger.

Lady Ann Une, her face wearing that serene expression that gave her the name "Saint Une", hid the worry she felt when she received the message from Relena.What ever Relena had that was really important must be something that needed immediate attention.Relena Peacecraft never contacted the Preventers except for the usual regulatory meetings that kept each other up to date with each other.So this emergency meeting really gave Lady Une something to worry about.

The two women went up the stairs to the private clinic that was inside the Peacecraft mansion.They were given the room number where the foreign minister was with her guest.They met two other young women, one a blonde and the other a brunette.The two older women acknowledged the blonde with a nod.They gave a curious look at the brunette, who they can clearly see was Chinese.Yet they gave her a nod of greeting and the Chinese woman returned the gesture.

Lady Une turned to Dorothy."Is Relena in there?"

Dorothy nodded."She is with her guest.Meiran," and she gestured to the Chinese woman beside her, "treated her."

Sally gazed at Meiran."You have any medical experience?"

Meiran nodded."Enough to know how to treat someone."

"Good.So shall we go in?"

Dorothy shook her head."Thank you, Lady Une.But I think it would be better if we just stay here."

"Nonsense.The two of you deserved to be in this meeting as much as we are."

The two younger women turned to stare at each other and then at Lady Une.They could see that she was adamant that they go with her.Sally had a similar expression on her face.

Finally they acquiesced.The four young women opened the door and let themselves in.Relena and the blonde on the bed looked up at the newcomers.She stood up and went to greet them.

"Lady Une.Sally Po.It has been a long time since we last saw each other, right?"Relena smiled at the two Preventers.

"It sure it."Lady Une turned her gaze to the blonde woman on the bed."And who is this, Miss Relena?"

"Her name is Midii Une."

Lady Une raised her brows in surprise."Une?"

Midii nodded."Our fathers are cousins."

Lady Une stared at the young woman thoughtfully."Ah.I see."She walked forward to the bed.Stopping beside it, she held out her hand."Please to meet you, Midii."

Midii returned the handshake, never letting her gaze falter from the other woman.She sensed in her eyes that the brunette was feeling rather emotional right now, though it didn't show on her face.This meeting must have given her an emotion overload.Midi sensed that Lady Une had nobody, maybe except this Merimeia girl that Relena Peacecraft mentioned earlier.Something that she shared with the older woman.Alone ever since agreeing with the soldiers to protect her family, she hadn't seen them since that time she left them.Being a traitor, to her eyes, made her feel ashamed to be near them.Though she secretly kept in touch with them.After she heard of her father's death, she provided for her brothers' keeping in the orphanage that they were sent to since they didn't have any relatives who wanted them.She always called the orphanage, to make sure that they were content and still there.Sometimes she called them and never said a thing whenever she heard them.Hearing her younger brothers' voices always made her feel much better.They didn't know it was her that had been sending the money to keep them in the orphanage, but that didn't matter.Midii was satisfied that her brothers were all right and well.And to take her mind of her loneliness, she decided to make amends with her past.She felt that she should uphold the present peace by trying to find out if there was secret opposition to it.That was why she had that disk.To preserve the peace.And to make sure that no more war orphans would go alone, especially him.No Name.The boy that she had betrayed yet befriended.The boy who was the same as her, in every way.Except she had betrayed him.And that was something she regretted ever since.Even now, thinking about him, made her feel sad.But as long as she has his cross, she will always have something to remind her of him.

Midii released Lady Une's hand and put it on her neck.The cross was still there.She sighed and held it in her hand for reassurance.Relena saw this but didn't comment.Instead, she turned to Lady Une and Sally Po.

"Midii here has something important to tell you."

Lady Une raised a brow."Indeed."She turned her attention to the young blonde woman on the bed and waited for her to tell them.

Midii squared her shoulders and began her tale."I've been looking for any mischief that might revolt against the peace that came two years ago.What I found was another organization just like what we encountered before."She held out the disk."In this disk, is information about Grey.Grey is another organization that is secretly getting ready for war.Grey wants to attack the Earth Sphere United Nation.To do that, they will have to capture the President, the Vice Foreign Minister, and the delegates from the colonies."She paused then continued."Grey also wants the Gundam pilots dead."She laid the disk down on her lap.She frowned."They had some information about them, too."

The two Preventers gave each other a worried look.Relena held her breath.Dorothy froze.Meiran and Midii stared at the four women, puzzled to their reaction.It was Sally who spoke first.

"What information did Grey have?"

"They knew who they were.Important stuff, like who they really are.Background, history, etc."Midii frowned."Though some of the information for two pilots weren't complete.And one of them didn't even have one.Only the name the Gundam pilot used during the war."

Relena knew which pilot Midii was talking about.She tried to quell her disappointment and analyzed the information that the blonde woman gave them."Midii, do you know which Gundam pilots had complete information about them?"

Midii shook her head."I really can't say.I just read the briefing that was written about them.The complete facts about them are in the disk, but I hadn't looked at them.I didn't have any time to read them."

Lady Une frowned."This disk is really important.I think that the Gundam pilots should look at them."She stared at Midii."Which of the Gundam pilots didn't have any background?"

Midii thought for a moment."I think the one who went under Heero Yuy."

The three women who knew the Gundam pilots weren't even surprised.Instead Lady Une held out her hand."May I have the disk, Midii?"

Midii handed the disk to the older woman.Lady Une smiled and stood up.She stared at the blonde woman for a while."Midii, do you want to live with me after you are well enough?"

Midii smiled back."Thank you.I appreciate your offer."She knew that the two of them could keep each other company.She sensed that the older woman had lost someone dear to her and she felt that they could keep each other company.

Lady Une took Midii's hand."I'm glad."She gave the hand a squeeze and released it.She turned to the Vice Foreign Minister."Miss Relena, would you mind if I talked to you outside?"

Relena shook her head. "In fact, I need to talk to you, Lady Une."She turned to the others."If you would excuse us."

The two women went outside the room.As soon as the door closed, Lady Une turned to the Vice Foreign Minister."Can I use your phone?I want to contact the Preventers about this current turn of event."

Relena nodded her head."Are you going to contact the Gundam pilots?"

"Yes."Lady Une sighed."I don't know if I can find the pilot of Gundam pilot of Wing Zero, but I'll try."

Relena knew that Lady Une would do her best to find the elusive Gundam pilot.And she also knew what Lady Une was thinking.She put her hand on the brunette's arm.

Lady Une met the blue eyes of the Vice Foreign Minister.

"Lady Une, Midii isn't the only child of your father's cousin."With that, Relena told the head of the Preventers what she knew about Midii.After she was done, Lady Une returned the gesture.

"Thank you."

The two women smiled.Then Relena released her."I better go back to my guests.I think you already know where to go to do your business."Relena didn't wait for an answer.Instead she walked back to the closed door that led to her guests.

Lady Une walked down the hall to report her findings, dreading the inevitable war coming up ahead.

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Well, that's it for the first part.I hope that all of you enjoyed it.Also, Gundam Wing does not belong to me.It belongs to its respected creators.So no suing, please.Feedbacks and such are accepted.You can email me at [aylah001@yahoo.com][1]. ^_^

   [1]: mailto:aylah001@yahoo.com



	2. Part 2

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The Second War

Part 2

By Era-chan

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The young man behind the laptop frowned at the report he was reading.If the person who wrote the report had been there in front of him, he would have been punched on the face.He would also be the first to see the angry expression on the man's face, something that had never happened before.The young man never showed any emotions.In fact, some people would say that he doesn't have any emotions.He was aloof and tends to wear a cold expression.He was the Perfect Soldier, Heero Yuy.

But now there were emotions showing on the Perfect Soldier's face.He turned his laptop off.Sitting there, he stared at nothing.Then he smirked.

"Mission…Accepted."

Music rang out from the room.It rose quietly and silently, so beautiful it made anyone who heard it stop in his or her tracks and just listen.Yet the music flew on, no audience nearby.The young man who was making the music played the violin, his eyes closed, a serene expression on his face.Now was the time for peace, which the song depicted.Yet even though the music was beautiful, a hidden undertone kept it from truly being pure.The hidden urge for someone to love, which in turn despises what he represents to the person's ideals.The person that has hurt him, and yet made him falls in love with in return.Yes, the young man has always the look of innocence of him, but he had killed many during the war.Was anyone truly innocent from the destruction that erupts from the devastation humankind had done to each other?What ever happened to the peace that was between each of the people, the peace that had been a long time ago?The young man frowned, the serene look on his face gone.Somehow he sensed uneasiness for a while, like the feeling he had during the war.

The young man, youngest and heir of the Winner Enterprises stopped playing the string instrument.He put down the violin and went to the window.Staring out to the endless desert, he remembered that it was nearly the day that the war ended.Somehow during the last two years, the past few days leading to the end of that horrible war had felt extremely special.He had felt truly at peace and complete.Always during this time he felt whole, and so he always looked forward to it.Sometimes it was a short period, sometimes long.And so, Quatre Raberba Winner swept his dark feelings away and waited for the peaceful feeling to come to him.

The young man looked up at the stars.Endless and dark, the sky up above stayed the same, never changing through the times of turmoil and war.It had been a long time since he had fought, but he will never regret his decision.He had participated in the war and had lived through it.He had survived, and he was thankful for it.His sister was also glad.

Circus noises rang out behind him.The circus had come to Earth, and the young man was glad to see Earth again.After two years in space, he was grateful to be on Earth again under different circumstances.The last time he had been on the planet was during the war.He had taken another man's name for his mission, the mission to obliterate the Oz factor and Romefeller Foundation, who were behind the actions of the United Earth Alliance.Having had no name ever since he was a child, he had been glad to have a name to give, though it was someone else's name, it didn't matter to him.He had met new people, made friends, and acquired a family.Yet somewhere deep in his heart he felt lonely, searching for that someone who he could love.Oh, he loved his sister and his friends, but that was another kind of love.What he wanted was someone to love as a man loves a woman.He knew that his heart wanted that, especially that girl who had betrayed him.The girl who was the same like him, who did it for her family, to survive the war as he did by becoming a spy, a traitor to him and to the others.But he didn't hold it against her; she did what she had to do.He would have done a similar action if he had been in her shoes.He did felt pain that she had betrayed him, but throughout the years he had forgiven her for what she had done.So he secretly yearned for that girl, though it didn't show on his face.

"Trowa!"

Trowa Barton took his eyes off the sky and turned to look at his sister.Without looking back, he went to the circus tent, ready for his act, putting his old memories in the back of his mind.

The young Chinese man got off the jet plane and walked toward the cliff.He stopped as he neared the edge and stared at the rising sun, glowing reddish-gold as it rose.He felt at peace where he was, at the forest evergreen dotting the outskirts of China.Though he wasn't born on the planet but on the colonies in space, he felt proud that he was from this land, where his ancestors had lived a long time ago.Now it was his home, ever since the L5 colony where he had lived for his first 15 years of his life had blown up so that they wouldn't be subordinate to the enemies during the war.

The young Chinese man ignored the pain that came as he thought of his old home.The pain that always came whenever he thought of the girl that was his life and who he loved too late to save her.The memorial stone where he had put her name to commemorate her was blown up with the L5 colony.He had held her when she died after the Mobile suit that she had occupied was blown apart with the enemies.Even though his marriage to the girl was arranged, he had fallen in love with her during the time they shared together.Then he had been a scholar who was against fighting while his wife had been into the war.They were both so proud and stubborn, but they had balanced each other so well.He regretted not telling her about his feelings and he will never have that chance to tell her.

Wufei Chang continued to stare silently at the rising sun, proud and alone, never noticing the lonely tear falling down his cheek, the only testament of the pain in his heart.That was the only sign that will ever show him as an emotional human being.

The young man wiped the oil from his hands off with a rag.He stared proudly at the mechanism that he had fixed ready to be sold to his customers. "Another done and lots more to fix.Yup, that is my job as a Sweeper."With a nod of his head, he turned around and walked toward the house he lived with his girlfriend.On the way, he threw the rag, missing the trashcan by mere inches.

Life was good for the young man.For the past two years, he had a flowing business, the postwar equipment giving him ample profit for his business.Though he was glad that business was good, he hated that it had to do with the wars two years ago.He had participated in the war to defend the people from the tyrannies of the enemies, but he didn't have to like it.

There were good things that came from it though.He met people who had the same goal as he did, and his girlfriend.Speaking of his girlfriend, she was coming towards him with a worried expression.He knew that something was wrong.

The young woman went up to her boyfriend, her blue eyes worried and somehow had a hint of fear in it.The transmission she had received from the Preventers had made her worry that the peace that had finally come would be shattered.Not once had the Preventers called them.Her boyfriend was a Preventer, but he was only to be called unless immense situations needed his skills.She knew that he didn't want to return back to fighting, something she agreed with.She wanted him to be happy, as he wants her to be happy, too.They both lived comfortably together, running their Sweeper business, and having a normal life.Or as normal as they both wanted it to be.

But now that this transmission came, she knew that their life would change again.She sensed that it was not good news and she feared that it would involve her boyfriend again, making him relieve painful memories from the past.She didn't want that to happen, especially to the person she loved with all her heart.

Her boyfriend went up to her and put his arm around her shoulders."Hey, babe.What's the matter?"

The young woman bit her lip.She stared at her boyfriend's eyes, a deep violet that she could fall into, and countless times she had.She will never tire of looking at her boyfriend, the love of her life.What any sane female wouldn't stop looking at him, not her.She took a deep breath and told her news.

"Duo, the Preventers called."She lowered her eyes so that he wouldn't see the fear in them."They said it was an emergency."

Duo Maxwell stiffened.This was the first time that the Preventers had called him for duty.He had a sinking feeling that this wasn't good news.Whatever the task was, it was something that needed his expertise.They wouldn't have called except in dire situations.He stared down at the bowed head of his girlfriend.He didn't want to leave her.He had gotten used to waking up next to her, seeing her everyday, since the wars ended.It would be hell when they separated.

Duo lowered his head and kissed the top of her head.His voice muffled, he said to her, "Hilde, babe.Don't worry.I'll come back to you.I promise you that."

Hilde lifted her head and stared at her boyfriend, her emotions showing in her eyes."Duo, I don't want you to leave.The last time you left me, I thought I would never see you again.The separation nearly killed me.And afterwards, you had to take care of business and left me alone."She burrowed her head on Duo's shirt.Her voice became pained."I can't take it anymore, Duo.I just can't."

Duo swore under his breath.Man, he didn't want to leave her, especially after the last two years.He remembered when Hilde went to the Libra and stole information about it.She nearly got killed trying to give it to him.He had promised that he wouldn't leave her again but he had.He went to live with the other Gundam pilots for a while afterwards.As one by one they all left until it was only Heero and himself left.When he had been about to leave, the news of Relena Peacecraft's getting kidnapped made him stay.Afterwards, he had left and went back to the L2 colonies, where Hilde had waited for him.She had thrown herself at him, tears of joy falling down her cheeks.He had vowed never to leave her again and he had kept his promise.Now this impending call is trying his vow into shambles.If he went, he would have broken his vow.But if he stayed…

Duo put on a grim expression.Hell.He won't break his promise to himself and Hilde.He lifted his hand under his girlfriend's chin and raised it so that he could stare at the scared blue eyes of his beloved.

"I made a vow that I won't leave you and I won't.Hilde, you're coming with me."

Hilde was surprised.She searched the violet eyes staring down at her."Are you sure, Duo?I mean, the business and all…" Her voice trailed off as Duo lowered his head so that their foreheads touched each other.

"The business won't be harmed a lot.We can just transfer it to Earth for a while.The other Sweepers won't mind taking care of business here for us.Mayhap we can switch with someone on Earth.And as for being away from each other, the only time that will happen is whenever I go somewhere dangerous.Other than that, we'll be together, just as I promised you we would."He wiped the tears that had appeared a while ago."Don't cry anymore, Hilde.Please smile for me."There was a pleading note in his voice.He hated to see her cry, especially when it was his fault she was crying.

Hilde sniffed and slowly smiled.She threw her arms around Duo's neck."Oh, Duo."

Duo smiled and returned the embrace.He smiled as he buried his face on his girlfriend's neck._I'll never let you go._

The plane came down on the private airport of the former Sanc kingdom.It bore the insignia of the richest family in the L4 colonies.The lone occupant of the plane got out as it stopped.He looked down the stairs and found a limousine waiting for him.Pagan waited patiently as the youngest Winner came down.

Quatre greeted the old butler."Good afternoon, Pagan."

Pagan bowed."It's nice to meet you again, Master Quatre."He opened the door."Shall we go?"

Quatre nodded his head.He had only carried with him an overnight bag, unsure of his stay.He had received a call from Lady Une and had come to former Sanc kingdom as soon as he could free himself from his work.He knew that call wasn't for idle chitchat; Lady Une had a serious expression on her face when she called.She had told him to come to the former Sanc kingdom, not to the Preventers, since she was there already.She had found some important facts that needed the Gundam pilots' help.In fact, as Quatre found out, she had called all the Gundam pilots except for Heero, who she couldn't find.Quatre wasn't surprise.Heero went his own way, disappearing from the world, never telling the others of his whereabouts.

The young blond man went inside the limousine and settled inside.The door closed and Pagan went to the driver side, opened his door, and got in.The black limousine spends away from the airport toward the Vice Foreign Minister's mansion.

During the way, Quatre heard that Trowa Barton was driving to the mansion since he was on Earth.Duo will had already arrived, having brought Hilde along with him.Wufei would arrive later after he had finished his mission.And there were guests of Relena that was residing in her home, coming under circumstances that Pagan didn't tell to Quatre, who didn't ask.

The limousine finally came into sight with Relena Peacecraft's mansion and stopped in front of the door.As Quatre stepped out of the limo, the front door opened and Relena came out.

"Quatre, how nice to see you again."

Quatre smiled and shook the hand that the sandy-haired woman held out."Never been better, Relena."

"Quatre!"

Quatre and Relena turned to the newcomers.Duo walked out the door, Hilde not far behind him.The braided young man went to the blond Arab and the two shook hands.

"Duo, how had you been?"

Duo waved his hand."Fine, fine."He put his arm on the young woman's shoulders wearing a beret on her head."You remember Hilde, right?"

"Of course."Quatre shook hands with the German girl.They had met when Hilde got injured getting the disk holding valuable information of Libra to the God of Death.He had realized then that the Gundam pilot who called himself the God of Death was in love with the girl.He was really pleased that Duo and Hilde got together.All of the people needed someone to love after endless warfare and being alone, in a sense.He ignored the black chasm that came to the fore whenever he thought of loneliness.Yes, loneliness.He, who had twenty-nine sisters, was lonely.Yes, he had friends and the Magaunacs, but what he was truly missing was the love that he could see between the Gundam pilot and the German girl.He had felt that emotion once, but that too was taken away from him, leaving him lonely and lost.

Quatre snapped out of his reverie when he saw Duo waving his fingers in front of the blond Arab's face.

"Yo, Quatre, you okay?"

Quatre smiled."I'm fine."He turned to Relena."So I guess the others aren't here yet."

Relena nodded."Why don't we go inside and get you settled.After you are done settling in, I'll introduce you to my guests."

The four friends went inside the building.A maid came and took the young Arab to his room while another helped Pagan with the young man's belongings.Duo and Hilde followed Relena to meet the guests, having been done with putting away their belongings in their room.

Relena stopped in front of a door, opened it, and went inside.The braided pilot and his beret-wearing girlfriend followed.Four women turned to greet the newcomers.Sally and Lady Une gave the couple acknowledging nods.Duo and Hilde returned the greeting.Then they stared curiously at the other two women.

Relena introduced the other two women."This is Dorothy Catolonia and Meiran…"She gazed at the Chinese women in inquiry.

Meiran didn't hesitate."Chang.Chang Meiran."

Silence followed.Meiran looked around at the others, puzzled over their reactions, though not showing her emotions at all.It was Duo who broke the silence.

"Say, Meiran.Are you related to someone named Wufei Chang?"

Meiran stiffened."Wufei?"

Hilde elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs."Chang Wufei."She had said that properly, something she had learned from an old Chinese friend of hers during her brief career as an Oz soldier.

Meiran slowly nodded her head, caution beginning to appear in her eyes.

Relena, realizing that the young Chinese woman wasn't going to say anymore, decided to intervene."Meiran.Dorothy.Let me introduce you to Duo Maxwell and Hilde Scheibecker."

That broke the eerie tension that had fallen.The American pilot held out his hand."Please to meet you, Meiran."The young Chinese woman returned the greeting.Duo, though it pained him to do so, held his curiosity at bay.He instinctively knew that there would be no more inquiries over her relation to the Chinese pilot.He stared at the young woman, trying to find any resemblance between her and the Gundam pilot.His quick assessment showed no similarities, though he never strayed from his thought of her as a cousin of some sort.Mentally shrugging, he made a mental note to ask the Shenlong pilot over his relation to Meiran Chang.

Duo turned to the other woman and held out his hand.He stared at the blonde woman who had pierced the young Arab's side, as Trowa had told him afterwards.What he saw now was a young lady who had seen a lot and had paid for her actions.A young, _kind_ woman whose eyes held the real person behind the austere face.Impulsively, Duo held onto the woman's hand, startling her."I just wanted you to know, I don't hold it against you for what you did back then."

Dorothy stared at the brown-haired, violet-eyed man, whose impetuous grin and kind eyes spoke about his sincerity.She felt a tide of relief wash over her.With a watery smile, she smiled her thanks.The young man released her hand after an affectionate squeeze.

Hilde shook the women's hands but stopped when she reached Dorothy.Instead of shaking hands, she hugged the blonde woman, surprising her.When she released the blonde, Hilde smiled.

Dorothy couldn't believe it.People that should have done the opposite had forgiven her.It made her feel overjoyed that these people would forgive her for what she had done to them.She felt that now she won't be alone anymore.Now she'll have friends this time.Dorothy smiled back.

Lady Une decided that now was the time for her to step up."Why don't we sit down and wait for the others."

The rest were settling down when the door opened and Quatre came in.

As soon as the young Arab walked into the room, his eyes immediately met gray eyes.Time stood still for the two young people.Quatre gazed at eyes that had seen and done many things that should never had made those decisions.He saw myriad emotions go one after the other in the young woman's eyes.Realizing that she was showing her emotions, Dorothy lowered her eyes to her lap.That didn't perturb the blonde Gundam pilot at all.He quickly went up to the young blond and sat down beside her.With one hand he lifted her chin until he could look at her eyes.Quatre smiled.

"Dorothy, I forgive you."

Dorothy gasped.He knew.Somehow that didn't surprise the young woman at all.She knew that he could perceive things instinctively from people, a gift that he used to help others.He had known what was giving her grief and he had eased it with his kind words of forgiveness.Suddenly, Dorothy gave out a sob and began to let it all out.The grief for what she had done, her sorrow over her father's death, and her loneliness finally found an avenue of release.

Quatre embraced the young woman into his arms, murmuring soothing words to the wounded woman.His heart wept for the girl that grew into this beautiful woman, who had done many things that she had regretted yet had done during the war.He wanted to whisk her away from the world and surround her with his love.He tenderly pushed her hair away from her face and let her cry into his shirt.Finally the young woman would find peace at last.

When she had tired herself out and her tears began to dwindle, Quatre pulled back a little and raised her chin so that he could wipe the remaining tears off her face with his handkerchief.Dorothy gave him a watery smile.

"Thank you, Quatre."There was a sincere note in her voice.

"You're welcome, Miss Dorothy."

The others, who had been silent during the event, finally began to move.Relena went up to Dorothy, who hadn't left the warmth of Quatre's arm, to see if she was okay.Duo and Hilde stared at the two, an unreadable expression on their faces.Meiran walked to the window and stared out, feeling isolated from circumstances that she didn't know about.Lady Une and Sally Po discussed their next action together in whispers.It was going to be a while for the somber atmosphere to dissipate.

Much to everyone's relief, Pagan came into the room."Miss Relena, Mr. Barton has arrived."

"Please send him in, Pagan."

Pagan bowed and left the room.The tall Latin Gundam pilot walked into the room.He immediately assessed the situation.Duo and the German girl that had come to Libra was sitting at a couch beside each other, intimately close in fact.Lady Une and Sally Po were sitting at another couch across from the couple.The other three occupants were sitting at a couch between the other two.He saw that his best friend had his arm around a blonde woman's shoulders, a woman he was familiar with and had met during the war.He didn't question the closeness between the blond Arab and the woman.He had found out that her name was Dorothy Catalonia, cousin to Treize Kushrenada.Somehow he had sensed that there was something going on between the two blondes.It was something he sensed at the hospital where Quatre was being held after Dorothy had stabbed him on the side.He had realized that his best friend had feelings for the blonde girl then, and yet he wouldn't be surprised if Quatre still has them after the years.He noted the tear stains on Dorothy's cheeks and turned his gaze to his best friend.An unspoken conversation went between the two, something that often happened ever since they first met.

Dorothy tried not to let her emotions get the better of her.She didn't know what the tall Latin man would do, since she was the one who had stabbed his best friend, the young man beside her.In a deep part of her heart, she hoped that he would forgive her as the man she had feelings for had done.

Trowa broke his gaze from Quatre and came up to Dorothy.He held her gaze as he stopped in front of her.His mask, the one he had worn nearly throughout his life, didn't give his emotions away.Their gazes never wavered between them.Trowa searched the gray eyes, trying to see what Quatre had seen of the young woman.An emotion flitted quickly from her eyes.Satisfied, Trowa tore his gaze away from the young woman and returned his gaze back to his best friend.He gave the young Arab man a small nod.Inwardly grinning, he let out a comment that he knew would make his best friend uncomfortable.

"You've found a fine woman, Quatre.Don't lose her."

Quatre flushed but stood firm."I know."

Dorothy turned her gaze to the man beside her, her surprise showing briefly on her face but she quickly returned back to her usual normal expression.The only ones who saw the change of expressions on the young blonde woman's face were Relena and Trowa.

Trowa then turned to the young Vice Foreign Minster."Relena, how have you been?"

Relena smiled."I'm fine, Trowa.And how is Catherine?"

"Fine.She didn't want me to go."

Relena gave a sympathetic smile to the tall clown."I understand.Who would want their sibling to go back to fighting, especially after what she must have went through during the war, worrying about you."

"Not Zech, of course," Duo commented.

Hilde hit her boyfriend behind the head.Duo yelped and gave his girlfriend a wounded look while patting his head.

Relena shook her head."Definitely not Milliardo."She remembered her older brother, the one that she had found out that she had during the war.The news that she had an older brother was a shock.She had only faint memories of her family when she was a child, but the ones that she can remember were the ones when the Sanc kingdom had been destroyed.Yet she was glad that she had a brother, though he was so stubborn at times.She didn't care that he had fought during the war.Even though the Peacecraft family had been a pacifist family, they had fought in many different ways for their ideals and for the people.Relena had fought during the war by becoming a symbol for the people.Milliardo had fought by becoming a soldier.In truth, Relena thought that her brother could still become the king of the Sanc kingdom, if he ever returned from Mars.Relena knew that her brother needed to find himself, since peace had finally happened.But now, the peace was being disrupted.

This time, Relena was prepared to make sure that all the people wouldn't suffer, especially _him_.She won't let _him_ fight ever again.This was something that she can do for him, the only thing that she knew he would let her do.Though she wanted to do more for him, like loving him with all her heart.Cherish him and keep him safe in her arms.And give him the peace that he craves with his body and soul.She knew _him_ and she knows that it was scaring him.But she could wait.She had been waiting for years, even though she was lonely and aching inside.

"Miss Relena."

Relena broke out of her reverie and came back to reality.She turned and found the concerned eyes of Dorothy Catalonia.Relena saw the others staring at her with the same concerned expressions on their faces.

"Don't worry, everyone.I was just reminiscing about the past."Her eyes became shadowed for a little bit and then cleared.

Understanding, Dorothy gave the foreign minister's hand a squeeze with her own."The past should be left alone, Miss Relena.We must move on.That is something that we must strive for."A faraway look came into her eyes.Dorothy thought about what happened between her and Quatre on the Libra, and vowed to make a better start with him now that she found out that he had no hard feelings for what she did to him.

"Yet the past can crept up on you when you least expect it."Relena said this philosophy, surprisingly.

The others sobered up.They had the feeling that somehow what Relena said would happen, though in unsuspecting ways.

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I hope you enjoyed the second part of The Second War.GW does not belong to me; it belongs to its respected owners.I know that this should be at the top but live with it.It's my decision.Feedbacks and such are accepted to [aylah001@yahoo.com][1].

   [1]: mailto:aylah001@yahoo.com



	3. Part 3

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The Second War

Part 3

By Era-chan

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The group of eight walked down the hall, toward the room where the other guest of the foreign minister was residing.The three Gundam pilots and Hilde had been briefed of the circumstances.Well as much as the other knows.The Gundam pilots and Hilde had stared curiously at the women, wondering why they didn't know a lot.It was Relena who gave them their explanation.

"My guest should be the one to tell you.It was her who got us this information and it should be her to tell you what she knows."She stared at the four young men and woman."I shall introduce you to her when we arrive there."

The Gundam pilots and Hilde knew that no more information would come out for them.So they found themselves stopping in front of a door, finally meeting the woman that had brought the next disaster to their attention.

Relena knocked on the door.She opened the door after she heard Midii call out for them to come in.She walked inside and the others followed.The men courteously let the women go in first and followed soon after.The Gundam pilot 03 was the last one to come inside.

Walking inside, Trowa came to a stop as he saw the room's occupant.The pale woman stared back at him, her hazel eyes widening in recognition.

"No Name."

The others paused, wondering whom she was talking to.They followed her gaze to the tall man standing on the doorway.Quatre eyed his best friend, who had never showed his emotions, like another certain Gundam pilot.He could tell that the Gundam pilot knew whom the young woman was and was shaken from meeting her from who knows how many years.

Trowa recovered and gave the young woman an acknowledging nod."Midii."There was no emotion from his voice.But if he had shown them, his voice would have been full of emotions that would have surprised the others, even his best friend.

Lady Une gazed at the two young people."Both of you already met."

Trowa tore his gaze from the young woman who had betrayed him when they were young and came to rest on the brunette."Yes."

Duo stared at Trowa, puzzled."No Name?"

"It was the name that I had before I took the name Trowa Barton."Trowa returned his gaze back to the woman on the bed, who had lowered her gaze to her lap.

Midii was in a quandary.She never expected to meet the boy-no _man that she loves ever again.She fisted her hands, scrunching the sheets under them.This time she will never betray him.She won't mess up her second chance, not if she can help it.Making up her mind, she raised her gaze until she met the emerald green eyes of the tall, brown-haired Latin man._

"I won't betray you."

Trowa eyed the young blonde woman staring right back at him.Truthfully, he knew that she wouldn't betray him because she was just like him.But he realized that she was telling him that she would prove herself for him to trust her again.That she would take this chance to make things right.Trowa knew that she was set on what she had on mind, and that he can't dissuade her from her task.Being just like him, she will try to make him see that they are equal.Without taking his eyes away from Midii, he gave an imperceptible nod.

Midii relaxed and loosened her hands from their positions.She knew that No Name, or Trowa, as he now calls himself, had accepted her word.She wondered how long that would last but feverishly hoped that he would let her prove herself to him.Both didn't realize that they were doing it because they cared about it each.Who would realize that interchange except for people who had felt the same way, namely the rest of the group.

Meiran turned away, hiding her pain from the others.She couldn't help but think about the times that she had wanted to prove to Wufei about her strength.She had called herself Nataku because she wanted justice for what the Earth Sphere Alliance had done to the colonies.Wufei had snorted at her and she had thought that he wouldn't had understand since he didn't like fighting, even though he was the best out of his clan.Yet he had chosen the literary path, wishing to become the scholar just like his father.She hadn't understood why he didn't want to fight and she will never know his reason, or so she thought.What she didn't know is that a certain someone will appear and change her life.

Lady Une smiled and decided that this was the right time for her to interfere."Even though the two of you already know each other, the rest hadn't."She turned to the pale woman on the bed."Midii, meet Duo Maxwell, Hilde Scheibecker, and Quatre Raberba Winner."She motioned to the three, who gave a nod to the woman, who returned the gesture."Duo, Hilde, and Quatre, meet Midii Une, my second cousin."She said so that they knew the relationship between her and Midii.

Midii turned to the braided man and the blond Arab."Both of you are Gundam pilots."This was said as a fact.Then she remembered the name that Trowa was using.She turned to the tall man."And you're using the name Trowa Barton."There was excitement in her voice.

Trowa stared at the young woman who was so much like him.He had a feeling that she knew something important.Before he could voice his thought, Midii was continuing on.

"I told you that Grey had gathered information of nearly all of the Gundam pilots except the for one, right?And how another had only some information about him?"When the women who had been inside the room a while ago nodded in acknowledgment, Midii continued on."Well, I skimmed through four of them, and I didn't have time to read the last."She turned to look at the three Gundam pilots."I remembered reading about Duo Maxwell, Quatre Raberba Winner, and Trowa Barton.And the person whose codename is Heero Yuy, who doesn't even have a profile on him."

"What did they found out?" Duo had a bad feeling that he won't like what he will hear about himself.

Midii got a serious expression on her face."Duo Maxwell, adopted by Father Maxwell at L2 Colony.Had a friend whose name was Solo, another war orphan."She gave the American pilot a sympathetic look."Do you want me to tell you more, Duo?"

Duo shook his head, already feeling that his institution was gratified."That's enough, Midii."He turned his head away, trying to pull himself together.

Hilde put her hand on her boyfriend's arm, feeling his pain like it was her own.She knew that there was still some of the past that he hadn't told her yet; from the nightmares that was still haunting him during the night.She had often held him to calm him down after a nightmare.She knew that even though he had that sunny disposition, he had been in so many dire situations that were still haunting him even now.She had vowed that she would never let him go through his ordeal alone.And not even the present problem will stop her from her task.

Duo was gratified for the comfort that Hilde effortlessly gave him with a free will.He knew that he hadn't told her everything about himself yet that didn't matter to her.Hilde was patient with him, and he was glad that she was beside him.Who knew what would have happened if Hilde had never come to his life.He chided from that train of thought and returned back to the present.He turned back to the others and gave them false smile."I'll be fine."

The rest of the group was reluctant to take his word, sensing the unhappiness behind his smile.But they backed off; knowing that it was better left in the dark, for right now there was other things to think about.

Quatre turned to Midii."What did they found out about me?"He also had a feeling that he wouldn't like what he was about to hear, though he didn't have anything to hide from.

Midii turned to the blond Arab."Quatre Raberba Winner, heir to the Winner Enterprises.Have 29 older sisters and deceased parents.Got affected by the Zero system and built Wing Zero after the death of his father."

Quatre lowered his eyes and balled his hands into fists.He didn't want to remember the pain he had went through after he had seen his father get killed in front of his eyes.He hadn't had enough time with his father afterwards.He had wanted forgiveness for his decision to pilot a Gundam.Now he never will get it.He had lost his father before reconciliation could happen.He felt a hand on his shoulder and he raised his head to find Dorothy staring at him with sympathy.

"I, too, lost my father during the war."Dorothy attempted to smile, failing as renewed tears began to fall from her eyes."I didn't get to watch him die like you did, but I loved him so much.He died fighting for what he thought was the best for the future."She unconsciously gave the blond Arab a loving look."You are just like him," she said wistfully.

Quatre held his breath.He would have never expected to see the blond young woman show that emotion before.He nearly drowned at the endless gray warmth that her eyes were admitting to him.Her tears glistened on her face, making her eyes sparkle with their glistening essence.

Dorothy realized what she must have been showing in her eyes and began to put up her shields again. She took her hand off Quatre's shoulder and took a step back.She began to wipe her tears away when she felt warm arms embrace her.She looked up to meet warm blue eyes and his smile shining down at her.He leaned his head down until their foreheads met.

"Cry as much as you want, Dorothy," he whispered."I'll share your grief with you."

Dorothy didn't know how it happened but she found herself crying on the blond man's shoulder, her arms around his waist, and wanted to never let him go.She knew that he was also crying, which he wasn't ashamed to do in front of the others.During the war, she would have scorned the sensitive gesture but secretly she was pleased.Her father had told her that it was okay to cry, and he had never felt sorry to let her see him shed a few tears.It made her impression of the man holding her stronger in her mind.

Quatre smoothed Dorothy's hair, trying to calm her down by whispering soothing Arab words.He was mentally relieved that the occupants, and the young woman in his arms, didn't understand what he was saying.If any of them had, they would have heard him confess his feelings of her.He really didn't mind if they knew, except he wasn't ready yet to tell Dorothy yet.So it was with relief that he continued to calm her down.

Trowa looked away from his best friend and the crying woman in his arms.He wouldn't have minded the public affection that his best friend was showing, but he was uncomfortable since he didn't have someone to hold to right now.His gaze went to the young woman on the bed and an imperceptible change in his eyes flashed by before his usual expressionless mask returned.Yes, he does have someone to hold on to, but it would take a while before the two of them could openly express themselves to each other.He knew it would take time.They were alike.

As soon as the couple finally calmed down, Trowa put all his attention to Midii."Was there any information about me?" he asked.

Midii nodded."The man took the name Trowa Barton after the real one was shot.He was a soldier even at a young age.His real name is Triton Bloom, younger brother of Catherine Bloom."

The tall Latin pilot froze.He stared at Midii, his mask finally broken.He opened his mouth yet he couldn't say what he wanted.Midii must have sensed his question and answered, "DNA samples.There was a seventy-five percent match between you and Catherine Bloom."

Trowa closed his mouth.He stood there for a while, still in shock that the woman who had adopted him as her younger brother was truly his biological sister.Now he finally had a family.The mask that he wore crumbled and he smiled.

Midii was hit the most, since the smile was aimed at her.Her mind reeled from the impact that his smile had on her.She had never seen No Name smile, and she guessed that the others also hadn't seen him smile.She felt an inner glow in her stomach.She bowed her head so that her hair protected her from the other's gazes.She felt special that she was the one that he had smiled at.She was determined that he would smile and she would make sure that he would, even with her around.

That was the scene that Wufei walked into when he arrived.He looked at the Latin Gundam pilot and raised his eyebrow.Then his gaze unerringly turned to the Chinese woman in the room.He gasped and reeled in shock.He couldn't believe whom he was seeing."You're dead!"

Meiran blinked.She couldn't believe who she was looking at.Her husband was supposed to be dead from the explosion of their colony. "No, you're supposed to be dead," she said.

The spectators watched as Wufei strode to Meiran and grabbed her shoulders.He stared intently at her, looking her over."Tell me, is this some joke?Are you an impostor?" he demanded.

Meiran shook her husband's hands off her."No I'm not.I'm truly Chang Meiran.Why don't you believe me?"

Wufei stiffened."Because I held my wife when she died after the battle," he said calmly.

Meiran was shocked."Wufei, I didn't die.I was drifting in space and found by some miners.I had amnesia until our colony blew up.Then I began to remember everything."She had began to believe that the man in front of her was her husband, though she didn't understand why he was saying that she died when she was right here.

"You lie!"

Meiran saw the fleeting emotions go through his eyes.She had never seen her husband show his emotions, or rather a lot of his emotions.She saw pain, sorrow, and anger flit through, the latter staying.

Wufei clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to hold on to his temper.With deliberation, he calmed down.He shot the Chinese woman in front of him a scathing glance."You'll never make me believe you are her.I held her in my arms and buried her in the field of flowers that she loved.She was Nataku personified.You," his eyebrows furrowed, "are not my real wife."With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned audience and a shocked Meiran.No one saw the tear that fell down the young Chinese woman's face.

The young man stared at the screen, watching the people in the room without their knowledge.Though he didn't show any emotion, his gaze rested on the young Chinese woman in wonder.He knew that she was very important to the Chinese pilot.His gaze went to the disk that the blonde woman on the bed held on her hand.The disk was the key for this new threat.He pondered if he should take his next move but decided not to.He had another task to take care of.Before he turned off his laptop, his eyes rested on the prominent figure of a blonde, blue-eyed woman, the same age as him.As he turned off the screen, he saw a glimpse of her beautiful face, her troubled eyes showing emotions that he knew she shouldn't had felt at this young age.

"I'll protect you like I promised.This I vow."

The young man got out of the chair and disappeared in the shadows.

It was a silent group that sat in one of the many sitting rooms inside the Peacecraft mansion.For the moment, the threat was forgotten, due to the previous outburst of the fifth Gundam pilot.The aforementioned man was staring out of the window stiffly, his back to the others, and his thoughts in turmoil.No one dared to talk to him.They sensed that this was something that should be left alone.

The young woman, who they had recently found out, looked like his dead wife, was not in the room.She had stayed with Midii, saying that she needed to think.Midii hadn't mind the company.All she had asked for as the group left was for a laptop, so that she could work at deciphering the information from the disk.

So now the rest of the group had gone to the sitting room, trying to ease the tension that had come up since Wufei's outburst.Duo and Hilde sat down at a love seat, conversing over their sweeper business.Quatre and Dorothy sat at another love seat, sitting side by side.Quatre was talking with Trowa, who was sitting in a chair beside him while Dorothy sat drinking her tea, which had been set by Pagan a while ago.Sally and Ann were conversing about Preventers business.Relena was sitting on a chair, deep in thought.She was disturbed from her train of thought by the arrival of Pagan.

Pagan bowed and said, "Miss Relena, some guests wants to see you."

"Who are they, Pagan?"

Before Pagan could answer, two people walked into the room.The group turned as one to see whom it was and were surprised.Or rather, some were surprised while the rest didn't show emotions, which was a normal reaction from them.

Relena gasped and stood up."Milliardo. Lucrezia."She went to the blonde man and the raven-haired woman.

Milliardo affectionately hugged his little sister.He pulled back a little and smiled down at the young blonde woman in his arms."Relena."Then his gaze went to the other occupants in the room.His smile faded and he grew serious."What's the matter?" he demanded.

It was Relena who answered her brother."Milliardo, it seems that we'll have a new war coming soon."There was sadness in her voice.

Milliardo and Lucrezia shared a look.Then Lucrezia turned to Ann and Sally."We also have news."

This piqued the others."What news?" Quatre asked.

Lucrezia looked grave."We also found traces of militia in Mars.So we came back after we realized that it was too dangerous to be where the enemy headquarters was."

This got everyone's attention."You know where the enemy headquarters are situated, Noin?"

Lucrezia nodded her head."The Mars Terrestrial Project was a cover for its schemes.Though the project is a success, the people behind it are planning something else."Her countenance grew grim."Probably building an army against the United Earth Sphere Nation."

Lady Une had been taking notes while the young woman had been talking.Without looking up from her notepad, she asked, "Noin, do you know what they are calling themselves?"

"It appears that they call themselves the Black Falcon."

The original group of people who had been in the living room before the intrusion looked at each other worriedly.It was Trowa who spoke for all of them.

"It looks like there are more enemies than we thought."

Milliardo stared at the tall young man with narrowing eyes."What do you mean, Barton?" he demanded.

"We had another organization called Grey."

Milliardo turned to the head of the Preventers."Is this true?"

Lady Une nodded her head."I'm afraid so, Milliardo."

"Where did you find this information from?"

Lady Une put on a small smile, which did wonders to her face."From my second cousin."

Lucrezia raised her brow."Second cousin?"

It was Trowa who answered the question."Her name is Midii Une.She came with important information that could help us stop the war as soon as possible."

A thought struck Relena.She turned to the others with a worried expression."Do you think Grey had any information about my brother like they did about all of you Gundam pilots?"

The others grew grim.

"Possibly," answered Sally Po."If they had most of the Gundam pilots' information except for Heero Yuy, then they probably have some background of Milliardo."She stood up."I'll go to Midii and see if she found anything."She gave the young vice foreign minister an encouraging smile and left the room.

Milliardo frowned and turned to the others."Will someone tell me what is going on?"

Relena sighed as she heard the irate note in her brother's voice.With a soothing voice, she said, "Milliardo, sit down.We'll tell you what we know if you just calm down."She gave the woman beside her older brother a pleading look.

Lucrezia understood and put her hand on the longhaired man's arm."Zechs, why don't we do as Relena suggested and sit down."

Milliardo took a deep breath and released it.His nerves were strung from worry.He had thought that on Mars he would find some answers to what he had been looking for, the peace that he had craved.It helped that Lucrezia was with him.He didn't know what he would have done if she hadn't come with him.The journey would have been lonely if it weren't for her.She had stood by him, even when he was in the wrong.He unconsciously patted his jacket pocket, where a small velvet box resides.No one noticed the movement except for a certain figure looking into the room through a digital camera so small that no one could have detected it, through human or technical sensors.

The figure smirked.He had expected this to happen someday.He had a pretty good idea what was inside the prince's jacket pocket.His gaze turned to the woman beside him.It was about time.She had always cared about him, as he had realized three years ago.And he knew that the blond man also reciprocated the feeling, though it took him a long time to finally get his act together.Milliardo Peacecraft had made her sad, though she never showed it to them. The figure turned to let his eyes on the younger sibling of the prince.She had also been sad, though not by her brother that much, but by him.He didn't know how to handle her.She had always stood by him, even though many miles separated them.She stands for peace, a symbol for the whole people from both space and Earth.And for him, she was someone to protect, from reasons that even he doesn't know.Somewhere deep inside of himself, a part of him was telling him something, but he ignored it.He didn't have time for sentimental feelings, or feelings in general.He was trained to show no emotions and even if peace had been acquired, there were still some new dangers that not even time could eliminate quickly and efficiently.Even now, he still had missions to accomplish.And this was one of them.

The figure turned his gaze to the door, where a sudden movement had taken his attention away from the young vice foreign minister.The appearance of the wounded young blond woman that he had heard was called Midii Une burst into the room.The Chinese woman he found out looked like Wufei's deceased wife holding her up.

Midii turned to the occupants of the room, her gaze briefly resting on the two new people then resting on the person who she knew from long ago.Trowa took a step toward her, worry showing in his expressive emerald eyes.

Relena had stood up."Midii, you shouldn't be up.Your wound…" her voice faded away as she saw the look on the young woman's eyes.

"I think I did something wrong."She motioned to the laptop computer that she held in her hand."I'm pretty good at hacking into the computer.I accessed the files that had the files of the Gundam pilots and of course the man known as Zechs Marquise, or Milliardo Peacecraft."Her gaze turned to the longhaired blond man then returned to the others."The files were pretty easy to open but I got into a dead end in others."

Meiran, who had been with Midii when she had tried to hack into the files, decided to tell them what the young woman had told her on the way toward the group."She was trying to access some files that looked suspicious.When she tried to, the screen blinked and a detonator came up."

Trowa, who had stood at the sudden appearance of the former spy, immediately went to her.He put his arm around her waist and let her rest on him.With his other hand, he grabbed the laptop.Midii, surprised, recovered quickly and let him lead her to the sofa, where Lady Une and Sally Po had been sitting at and where now standing beside it, waiting for them to put the wounded woman on it.Meiran, relinquished of her burden, went to the other side of the room, away from the Chinese man, who was watching her with avid eyes.

Sally inspected the young woman as soon as she was laid on the sofa.Trowa, seeing that Midii was taken care of, went back to his chair, sat down, and opened the laptop.He began to hack into it.Quatre leaned from his seat, looking at the screen.Duo had risen from his seat and now stood behind Trowa's chair.Wufei hesitated for a while, and then decided to take his place beside Duo.The four Gundam pilots stared at the screen, staring at the digital numbers going down.

Trowa mentally frowned.Even as he typed, he couldn't get through the detonator."It seems that we only have forty-five minutes until we lose the files."

Duo, impatient over the lack of progress, decided to intervene."Let me try, Trowa."

Trowa got out of the chair and let Duo take his shot.After a while, Duo gave up.Before he could voice his displeasure, Quatre put his hand on the American pilot's shoulder.He gave his friend a smile."Let me try, Duo."

Duo relinquished the laptop and let the blond Arab have his chance at it.When Quatre failed, Wufei decided to try.Then so on as anyone who was good at computers took their chance at it, with the same results.The time was now at five minutes.Tension was tangible in the room as the numbers went down.

The laptop was back to Trowa when the timer suddenly disappeared.The others blinked and turned their gazes to the tall pilot.Trowa held up his hands as if to say it wasn't him.Then the screen went back and a message board appeared.

_Mission Accomplished._

Duo grinned."That man sure knows a lot."

Wufei shook his head."Figures Yuy would know how to break through files," he mumbled.

Quatre was puzzled."But how did he hack into the laptop?The files are in a microdisk so he couldn't have accessed it from anywhere else except in this laptop."

Milliardo turned to his sister."Whose laptop is this, Relena?"

Relena shrugged."Well, my bodyguards handed it to me so they probably know whose it is."

Milliardo gave a nod."Ah."

Trowa stared at the older man intently.He knew that the older Peacecraft was holding something back but reframed from asking.He respected the man's privacy and somehow he had an idea about it anyway.Then his gaze went back to the screen.His forehead wrinkled and then cleared.Heero was typing something again.

_Files are taken care of.Sending them to you._

Immediately, the message board disappeared and the screen changed.The four Gundam pilots read through them.Trowa raised his head and stared at the others."It seems that Heero withhold some files from us."

Duo frowned."Why did you say that, Trowa?"

Trowa turned to stare at the braided pilot."Because there are names mentioned here that should have had a file on them yet there aren't here for us to read."

Milliardo opened his mouth, thought about it, and closed it.He sighed."It may be that Heero had good reason for withholding them.Let's let it go for now."

The four Gundam pilots were shocked.They had been there during the battles between the two rivals.They thought that there would be animosity between them.Yet here they were, having heard from the former Lightning Baron himself, to leave Heero Yuy alone.Something must have happened between the two to make this change in the two rivals' relationship.

Relena raised her eyebrow but other than that, she wasn't surprised.She had seen her brother and the Gundam pilot in the Libra exchange what she considered a talk of some sorts.She knew that they were rivals, even enemies.But the war was over, and whatever was between them during the war was gone.Well most of it, anyway.She had a feeling that there would always be the competitiveness between the two, but other than that, they did respect each other, both as soldiers and as men.So it was not that big of a deal for her.

The Gundam pilots had finally recovered and had resumed their reading.Hilde, who had been patient while they were reading it, decided it was high time for them to know what they had found."Well, what did you found?" she demanded.

It was Quatre who told them the situation, from what he and the other three had read."It looks like Grey is a big organization."His gaze met the prince of the Sanc Kingdom."Black Falcon is part of Grey, it seems."

Milliardo frowned."Then it looks like that we have a big problem here.Black Falcon is huge enough as it is on its own, but if it is just a small part of Grey, then this organization must be humongous."His eyes were grave."If this is true, then there must be more such sub organizations from both the colonies and Earth."

Lucrezia agreed."This is much more bigger than what we had fought against.I presume that Grey is much bigger than White Fang, the Romefeller foundation, Oz, and the Earth Alliance armies combined."

Lady Une frowned."It looks like it."Her worried eyes met the green eyes of the Latin pilot."Also, Grey must be much older than the Barton Foundation.Is it?"

Trowa nodded his head."From the data, Grey is older than the Barton Foundation.It was even in the beginning of the war."

Sally shook her head."How come we never heard of Grey before?I mean, if they were in the beginning of the war, we must have had heard something about them."

"We did."Quatre, who had been reading from the side, tore his gaze away from the screen."Grey separated into many insignificant organizations.They were interested in a variety of fields."His gaze returned to the screen."There is an organization called Red Phoenix which specialized in minerals."

Hilde frowned."Why would they study minerals?"

Wufei snorted."Probably found a possibility to use it for weapons."He scowled."Or build more mechs suits."

The others shared a look.They had a suspicious feeling that the latter was the reason why but no one voiced it out loud, for fear that it might be true.They never wanted another war.All of them had participated in the war and they never want to be in another one again.So many lives were lost and many long months of fighting.No one ever wanted to go back into battles ever again.But it seems that they will have to.It looks like that the war wasn't over for them.

Dorothy, who had not spoken once since the group had gone into the sitting room, decided to speak at last."If what you say is true, then maybe the Gundams should be resurrected, correct?"

The Gundam pilots and Milliardo Peacecraft shared a look."Yes it must," answered Milliardo grimly.

The laptop computer blinked and a message board came up.

_The Gundams had been rebuilt and upgraded._

The message board disappeared and a map came up. Duo shook his head."Figures he would do that kind of thing."

Trowa was looking at the map thoughtfully."This looks like an underground base in Japan."He looked up at the former Oz soldiers."Do you know any bases in Japan?"

Lady Une shook her head."Not that I can recall."She turned to the former Lightning Baron."What about you, Milliardo?"

Milliardo thought for a moment and shook his head."No I don't.Though I'm not surprised that Heero would know about the base."

"Neither am I."Lucrezia turned to the Chinese woman, who hadn't said a word since she had barged in with Midii."I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."

Meiran hesitated for a while.An internal battle about her answer was fought in her mind.Should she say Chang Meiran, or Lin Meiran?Which one should she give?

Wufei solved her dilemma."She calls herself Chang Meiran."He didn't elaborate about his relationship to her, just let it be.

Lucrezia noticed the tension between the two Asians and decided not to ask for more information.She smiled."My name is Lucrezia Noin and this is Milliardo Peacecraft.It's nice to meet you, Meiran."

Meiran gave the couple an acknowledging nod."Likewise."

Lucrezia inwardly smiled.Meiran was acting just like the fifth Gundam pilot.She wondered what else the two were in common, but her train of thought was broken when she felt a hand on her arm.She looked at the man beside her, the man who she loved with all her heart and will always follow.Milliardo gave a concerned look.

"Are you all right, Noin?"

Lucrezia nodded her head."Just thinking about some stuff."

Milliardo stared at the woman beside him in wonder.He never understood why she had wanted to follow him, but during the time spent in Mars, he had begun to find out her feelings.He had known that she had loved him ever since their academy days but he had been so busy with getting vengeance and the war that he ignored her devotion.Oh, he had seen her from far away after the war, when he was trying to find himself, yet he was reluctant to walk up to her, fearing that she didn't care about him anymore.That notion was vanished from his mind when she went with him to Mars for the terrestrial project that had just come up two years ago.From that time, the two had become closer and moved their relationship to the next step.Now all he had to do was get her alone and give her the present, one that he hoped she would accept.

Duo scratched his head."Say, I was wondering.How does Heero know what we are talking about?I mean, he isn't even here."

The others were puzzled.It was Relena who answered the question.

"I presume that he is watching us even now.Heero is the Perfect Soldier."Though she said this matter-of-factly, her eyes held the sadness in them for him.

The figure stared at the sad young woman.He wondered, countless times, how the young vice foreign minister could understand him, in so many ways.She had followed him a few times, and it had irritated him no less.Yet she reminded him of peace.He knew that she wouldn't like being the symbol of peace; it held so many responsibilities.But she took the role, for whatever reason she did it.And even though she had let him go, she still wanted to see him.

"Figures."Duo looked around the room, trying to see anything out of the ordinary.He had an evil smirk on his face."If Heero is watching us, he won't mind me saying about what I think his feelings are about—"

The screen blinked and the message board appeared again.

_Omae o korosu._

Duo pouted as he read the message."He is watching."He looked like he had been punished for nearly stealing something.Hilde saw the adorable expression and couldn't help but give her boyfriend a sparkling smile.Duo saw it and relaxed, a normal reaction to his girlfriend, who had been trying to cheer him up.

Relena smiled.She remembered the times when that phrase was aimed at her.Even though he said it again and again, he never ever did kept his promise.But in a way, he did keep it.She was dying inside, the loneliness getting into her.Her life would never be complete unless he was there.There are things she had to let go, and that was him.She knew that he needed to find himself and she respected that.Now she wonders when he will come back, or if he will ever come back to see her, at least once.She wants to see if he is fine in the vast world.Does he kill still?Is he still taking nearly suicidal missions?Whatever he was doing, she hope that he was doing fine.In the deepest region of her heart, she sometimes feared that he was killed and she won't know about it.But always she was reassured by the teddy bear that he left.It was the only comfort she has now.It lay on her bed, where it stared at her with its comforting gaze whenever she opened her door.In some ways, the teddy bear was like him.She told it her secrets and hopes.It never spoke back to her, just like him.But it didn't matter.It was a gift from him and she cherished it with all her heart and soul.

Lady Une decided it was time for her to leave.She stood up and nodded at the others."I better take my leave.I have to tell the President about this situation.I also have to prepare the Preventers for the upcoming war."She frowned at the revelation, hating the crisis a lot.She didn't want Mariemeia to experience any more wars.The young girl had already seen enough.She turned to the Gundam pilots."Send me any more information that you found from the files."

Trowa gave an affirmative nod.

Sally Po also stood up."I think I better go, too."She turned to look at her part-time partner."Wufei, good luck."Then her eyes rested on the Chinese young woman."You, too, Meiran."With a nod, she and the dark-haired woman left the room.

Trowa looked up from the laptop.His gaze went to the pale blond woman lying on the sofa.Without a word, he gave the laptop to Quatre and went to her.Midii, who had closed her eyes for a moment, opened them to find emerald eyes upon her.She blinked as the tall Latin pilot lifted her into his arms and strode out of the room.

Quatre smiled as he saw his best friend leave with the woman he suspects as someone he truly cares about.Then he turned back to the laptop and resumed reading the files.A teacup got into his line of vision and he turned to find Dorothy holding the cup for him, her usual mask in place.Quatre, unperturbed, smiled and took it."Thank you, Dorothy," he said sincerely.

Dorothy gave a nod to acknowledge the compliment and resumed drinking her tea, aware that the blond Arab needed to look into the files for preparation to the new war coming up.

Duo scratched the back of his head."Well, since we are staying here for a while, I might as well get something to eat."He turned to his girlfriend."Want to come?"

Hilde shook her head."Duo, you're hopeless."Yet she followed him out of the room in search of the kitchen, to fix something for the unfathomable stomach of his.

Wufei gave a last look at the laptop."Tell me when you are done, Quatre."He went to the window and ignored the other occupants, staring at the waning sun in thought.

Meiran, uncomfortable with being at the same room as her untrusting husband, decided to go to her room.With a nod, she left the room, never noticing the glance that the Chinese man had given her at the last moment.

Milliardo turned to his younger sister."Relena, we better get our stuff.We came here immediately and didn't have time to settle in."He gave her a reassuring smile."Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this."With a last hug from both him and Lucrezia, they left the room.

Relena sighed.She set down her cup and stood up.She smiled at her friends."I still have some paper work to do.If you excuse me."She left the room, but not without a certain someone noticing the dimness that her eyes appeared.

Satisfied that there would be nothing else to report from the room, the figure turned the screen of his laptop and began to type a message.After he sent it, he went back to the files that he had withheld from the others and began to read it.What he read was not something that the others would like to hear.It looks like the new threat was something that would take all of them to get rid of.With a grim expression, he turned the laptop off and walked out of the room.

It was time for him to appear.

---------------------------------

Did you guys enjoy it?There are many questions that are left unanswered, which will be later explained in future installments.Feedbacks are truly appreciated by emailing me at [aylah001@yahoo.com][1].If you want to read previous parts of The Second War, go to my website at [http://www.geocities.com/ayalah001/][2].Also, standard disclaimers apply to this fic.GW belongs to its respected creators but the fic belongs to me.

   [1]: mailto:aylah001@yahoo.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/ayalah001/



	4. Part 4

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The Second War

Part 4

By: Era-chan

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"What do you mean I can't go out of the mansion?"

Relena stared at her bodyguards, trying to control her anger from getting out of hand.The men in front of her fidgeted but held their ground.

"Our boss said not to let you go from the mansion.We're just following orders, Miss Peacecraft."

Relena, realizing that she couldn't change their minds, turned to her brother, who was sitting on a chair in her office."Milliardo, tell them that I can't just stay here.I got a meeting in Germany in five hours."

Milliardo looked at his younger sister, compassion in his eyes."I'm afraid I can't, Relena.I didn't hire them."

Relena was surprised.She had thought that her brother was the one who had hired the men, since they were all proficient bodyguards.It was a shock to find out that he wasn't the one.She wondered who did…

One of the bodyguards held out an envelope."Mr. Peacecraft, this is for you."

Milliardo raised his eyebrow and took it.He opened the envelope and read the letter inside.He raised his eyes to meet the men."It seems that your boss is incensed over your failure at protecting the vice foreign minister."

The bodyguards paled and shifted their feet.One of them cleared his throat."We'll be prepared next time, sir."

Milliardo eyed them seriously."See that you are."With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the men.Before they left, though, he had a last minute comment."Your boss will take care of your negligence soon.Be prepared."

The door closed after the men.Relena turned to stare at her brother."That is unfair, Milliardo.They didn't know that the accident would have happened."

Milliardo grew serious."Relena, they are the best bodyguards with the best boss.Their boss just wants to protect you with the best.As do I."He stood up and went to his sister.He took her hand and squeezed it."You do understand, right?"

Relena sighed."Yes, I understand.But this is preposterous.Why can't I go out of the mansion?"

Milliardo searched his sister's expression."Their boss must have had a good reason to order this house arrest."He squeezed her hand again before releasing it."Don't worry about it."

Relena shrugged."I guess I can trust this man's judgment."She frowned."But I have to cancel the meeting."

Milliardo grinned."No fear.It's already been canceled."

Relena opened her mouth then closed it.She shook her head and turned toward the door."I'll just go to my room."She didn't see the smile that appeared on her brother's face.

The figure watched as the vice foreign minister walked down the hall towards her room.He typed on the keyboard and the screen changed into many small ones.He began to systematically check her room to see if any attempts had been made since he last checked the room.When he was satisfied that all was clear, he turned his attention back to the young woman walking down the hall toward her room.He didn't let his gaze rest on her after a while, for she was a temptation that he was not going to give in.She had always been in the forefront, and her face graced the world, event when all he wanted was not to see her face at all.He was running away, he knows that.But if he stays with her, he feared that she would die.He didn't want her to die, just protect her, even if he was going against what he was feeling for her.He didn't deserve her that was for sure.So he did the only thing he could do for her.He protected her, just like he had promised.She was the Dove of Peace, his peace in the world that had started after the wars.No one, and he meant no one, will get the chance to hurt her.If they try, they had to go through him first.A fleeting emotion went through his face before it returned back to its impassive mask.He saw the vice foreign minister open her bedroom door and close it after her.He smirked, waiting for her reaction to the unexpected intruder in her room.

Relena sighed and leaned on the door for a moment to recollect herself.She closed her eyes and reviewed everything that had happened for the past few days.They had found a lot more of Grey.The organization was extremely huge, as they had suspected.It had more than 50 organizations, since the files that Heero had sent them and the others that Midii had already accessed were accounted for.Trowa suggested that Heero might hold more with the files that he had kept.This was a serious situation.The Gundam pilots excluding Heero went to the Preventers headquarters, leaving the women behind in the Peacecraft mansion.Milliardo had volunteered to stay, as did Lucrezia.The older couple helped the young women settle in.Of course, there were some protests from Midii and Hilde, but their counterparts were firm in their decision.The young men wanted them to be safe.Besides, it was only a few miles away from the headquarters.They will be back now and then, or rather every day, in Duo's case.

They had been very busy getting prepared for the upcoming war.Relena had a suspicion that the Gundam pilots had contact with the Perfect Soldier, though she didn't voice it out loud.Even thinking of the 01 Gundam pilot through her busy schedule made her feel depressed.Yet she kept being strong, for him and for herself.Somewhere deep inside her heart, she hoped that he would come back to her.She doesn't know what was keeping him away from her other than trying to find himself.She was patient but the years were killing her inside.

"Heero, come back to me," she whispered.

Relena sighed again and straightened up. She opened her eyes and found a pair of Prussian blue eyes staring right back at her.Her eyes widened in shock.

Meiran practiced the martial arts moves that she knew so well.She was thankful that Relena had told her about this room, where she could practice without interruption.Ever since the day she had arrived here, her life had changed.She didn't know if she felt glad or not, after the confrontation between her and Wufei.She tried to ignore the pain that the memory held to her.She had been in shock and still was over his words.She wasn't dead.How can he tell her that?It didn't made sense to her.Thankfully, the others didn't say any more about what happened and tried to act as if nothing happened.They realized that it was better left alone for now so they moved on.

Meiran hadn't heard from Wufei ever since he left for the Preventers headquarters.She was glad, though.She didn't know what she would say to him after that outburst.And she was secretly pleased that he was staying there and not here in the mansion.She needed time to think about their situation.If he was staying in the mansion, she would meet him every day and right now, she thought it was best that the two had time for themselves.

So here she was, practicing after coming to Earth a few days ago.So many things had happened.Relena had stayed inside, having the time to go back to work until today.The last time Meiran had seen the young blonde woman was inside her study before she went to the room where she is now.

As for the one called Midii Une, the young woman was still recuperating from her ordeal.Getting out of bed that day had prolonged her recovery.The young woman had taken it into stride.She had the use of a laptop, courtesy of Relena, and many things to entertain her.She had frequently talked with Lady Une, getting to know her other relative.Meiran envied the young woman; she had family that she could associate with, yet the only living relative that the Chinese woman had didn't believe the two are related to each other.

Meiran moved her head fluidly and gracefully in the timeless moves of the martial arts.Her whole focus was on what she was doing, the outside world nonexistent to her.She didn't see the figure walk into the room and leaning on the wall, watching her with narrowed eyes.

Wufei stared at the Chinese woman.He watched her do the motions of the martial arts with accuracy.He had the sudden image of his deceased wife overshadowing the young Chinese woman.He shook his head. No, his wife was dead.Yet the last few days had made him feel doubtful.The insecurities and this small hope in his heart led him back to the Peacecraft mansion.He didn't like how the small feeling just crept into his heart without his knowledge but it did.Even his work couldn't keep his thoughts away from the young woman in the room.But even though he was hopeful, the evidence he had held in his arms made him stand in his belief.Meiran was dead.And the young woman is an impostor.

Meiran stopped for a break and noticed she wasn't alone.Stiffly, she turned to the intruder of her sanctuary and wasn't surprised to see her husband watching her.She had felt his presence when she had finally gotten out of her training.When she saw him, she didn't know what to do.She wasn't ready for this confrontation, that's for sure.

The two Chinese people stared at each other from across the room.Silence permeated the training room, stifling the couple with the tension and emotions rampant between them.Finally Wufei made a move.He was a blur, but Meiran blocked the foot with her arm.The two continued to spar, each attack meeting the defensive move, and so on.Any spectator coming into the scene would find two people in beautiful motion.They would be in awe at the spectacular view, spellbound by the amazing show of martial arts.The two martial artists moved effortlessly, but in closer inspection beads of sweat formed from their bodies, and their breathing came in pants.In one blazing move, the man overpowered the woman to win the show.

Wufei stared down at the endless black orbs of the young woman beneath him.He quelled the intense feeling that came out of nowhere and lifted his foot from her stomach."You did well."

Meiran lifted herself from the floor."Thank you."She was surprised when a hand appeared in her line of vision.Without looking up, she took it and was pulled up.Standing in front of him, she finally looked into eyes just like hers."Wufei, why won't you believe me?"

Wufei stiffened.He hadn't expected for her to ask again quite this soon.Frankly, he hadn't planned on coming to see her at all after meeting her.He scowled and crossed his arms in front of him."Why should I answer a pathetic question like that?"

Meiran felt sad, though it didn't show.She didn't realize that her feeling was showing in her eyes, which Wufei saw from the first."Do I look like an impostor?" she demanded.

Wufei turned away.He began to walk back to the door.Before he left, he answered her question."Yes."He didn't see the anguish appear in the young Chinese woman's face, or the girl falling down to her knees and crying after he left.

Meiran cried, something she would have never done nearly four years ago.Why was life giving her this endless turmoil?Hadn't it done enough by taking her away from her loved ones?It had all started with the arranged marriage, which was a blessing in disguise.Now the marriage was a link that was breaking her apart.

"Wufei," she whispered."Don't you see that this is killing me already?"

Hilde read the fax, a frown on her face.Since she was staying in the Peacecraft mansion while Duo was doing Preventers business, she had focused her attention on Sweepers business, taking her whole mind away from the new threat to peace.Duo had been relieved that she had something to focus on, and she agreed with him.It was better than pretending to say it was all right when in reality a war might begin again, thanks to the new organization calling themselves Grey.Her boyfriend had been worried that she wouldn't have had something to occupy her time, but she had told him about their other reason to be here, something that had slipped from the braided pilot's memory.Now that they were staying on Earth for a long while, as she speculated from the information that had been imparted to them by Midii, she thought that maybe they should find a place to live while on the planet.Relena had protested but Hilde was adamant in her decision.She didn't want to be the vice foreign minister's way, and even though she wasn't, the young German woman was uncomfortable staying in the huge mansion.That was why there were magazines beside her on the sofa.

Hilde looked up when she saw a cup of tea held out to her.She smiled at the young blonde woman and took it from her."Thanks, Dorothy."

Dorothy gave a nod."You're welcome, Hilde."She returned back to her seat across from the dark-haired woman, while Hilde went back to the paper in her hand.Unlike the German woman, Dorothy didn't have anything to occupy her time most of the days.She still practiced fencing, but not with the zeal that she had before the war ended.Some things, as she had thought two years ago, where better left behind.Fencing, as she found out, could hurt.Just like wars can.Her father had been hurt during the war, and fencing had wounded the man she loved, though it was her fault.Her eyes gazed out the window while she took a sip from her own cup of tea.Her life had chosen a path and she wondered who could save her from it.Her mind shunned away from the apparent answer that her heart was telling her.

Suddenly the door to the sitting room burst open.Two blurs ran into the room, followed closely by a panting Relena.The two previous occupants in the room jumped a little in surprise as two creatures ran around the room.Two pair of eyes followed the running animals, both amused and confused by the scene happening in front of them.In unison, they turned to the young vice foreign minister, who had recovered from the run.

"Miss Relena, who does these dogs belongs to?" asked Dorothy.

Relena, her attention still on the dogs, answered the question absentmindedly."Apparently mine, I believe."

This surprised the two young women. Before they could ask for more information, Milliardo came into the room.He took one glance at the running dogs then turned to the three young women."What is going on here?" he demanded.

The two dogs, seeing that there were more people than before, stopped in front of Relena.One was medium height dog whose dark brown coat gleamed unruly.Prussian blue eyes stared right up at the blonde woman.His stance protective, he stood close to a smaller dog whose mane was the same color like the vice foreign minister.Eyes the same color as the younger Peacecraft stared up at Relena, while she sat beside the other dog, looking calm and unruffled by the two dogs' earlier run.

Relena was hit by déjà vu.The two dogs reminded her of herself and a certain someone.A fact not lost to her brother and the two young women in the room.Relena went down on her knees and held out her hand.As if they knew what she wanted to do, the two dogs went up to her and let her scratch them behind the ears.While scratching their ears, she noticed the collars around their necks.She found their tags.On the bigger one, the tag was shaped as a pair of wings.On the smaller one, the tag was shaped as a dove.

"Hiro."Relena then turned to the smaller one."Ririna."

When the two dogs heard their names, they barked in acknowledgment.Their tails wagged and they gave the young woman their own version of a smile.Or rather, the smaller dog had on a smile while the bigger dog had on a grin, so to speak.They stared at the young blonde woman in adoration.

The other occupants stared at the scene in wonder.Simultaneously a thought entered their mind.It was Hilde who voiced it out loud.

"You know, Hiro and Ririna look just like you and Heero, Relena."

Relena gazed down at eyes so much like her.The smaller dog gently pushed her head on her hand, as if to reassure the young woman.Relena smiled."You're right, Hilde.They do look like us."Her eyes dimmed as she thought of the mysterious man that stole her heart.Wherever he was she hoped he was fine and happy.Working endlessly to promote peace was her job, but she took it with the intention that _he_ would never fight again.At last, that was not meant to be.Another new war has come, and she knew that he was going to fight.Why does he have to fight? Her heart wailed.The beating organ cried with each beat, sorrow overflowing its chambers for the young man whose whole person was changed from a sweet innocent soul to the emotionless soldier of war.She wanted him to find peace, but she guessed it was futile to work for it.Her insecurities were wiped away from her mind by a wet nose on her hand.She blinked and focused her attention to the pair of Prussian blue eyes staring right back at her.

The dog's eyes held compassion and love, emotions that Relena would have never thought would show freely in another pair of eyes that she held so dear.His eyes held knowledge and Relena knew that the male dog understood her wayward thoughts.Her gaze switched to the smaller dog, who had saw the sadness in the young woman's heart and had realized the cause.The female dog moved closer to the bigger dog, which instinctively moved his body in a protective gesture.The smaller dog gave the young woman a speaking look.Relena felt that she was telling her that not everything was not as it seems and giving her hope for the miracle that the vice foreign minister so hoped for.

Relena felt the depressing feelings inside her heart lighten.Her hope flourished, making her eyes sparkle.The dogs saw it and their smiles widened.Their tails started to wag again, more furiously than before.They began to bark.Relena laughed along with them.She impulsively threw her arms around the dogs, who began to lick her face in joy.

Milliardo looked on, puzzled at this strange event.How it happened was beyond his understanding yet he didn't comment about it.He was just glad that his beloved sister was happy again.He had seen that even though he had returned, he had intuitively felt her sadness.He had been worried that her job was taking its toll on her and also a certain someone who hid in the shadows.He had nothing against the person, which some people though he had.He had a certain respect on the younger man, his equal in every way.Though the young aristocrat did believe that the young soldier has surpassed him already, his youth and background making him the perfect candidate to protect his sister.He had the qualifications and the young man had also asked to protect her.He had no qualms about it and had accepted the young man's proposal immediately.He knew that he had left his younger sibling with the best protection that could ever be hoped for.

The young aristocrat had no objections to the relationship between his 'equal' and his sister.He may be overprotective over her, but if it were for her happiness, he would do his utmost best to make sure he achieved it.But in this case, only one person could truly make her happy.And Milliardo had to step down in this situation.It was between his younger sibling and the young man.He hoped that they would finally get together; it was killing him inside to see her so sad.

Now what he was seeing was a truly happy young woman.He had never seen her act so joyously and carefree before.It had been a long time since he had seen that expression on her face.The last time was during their childhood in the Sanc Kingdom, before it fell under the Alliance.The older brother of the young vice foreign minister hoped that the young soldier saw this event.He never realized that the young man on his mind was already watching this occurring event.

Relena stopped laughing, gave the two dogs a last hug, and stood up.She gazed at the other three occupants and gave them a smile."It looks like Hiro and Ririna needs a home."

Milliardo gave a nod."It sure looks like it."He smiled at his sister."Why don't you take them to the veterinarian for a checkup.Just to make sure everything is okay."

Relena nodded her head."Okay.If you excuse me."With a final nod, she left the room, the two dogs following her.

The three left behind stared after the young woman with the two dogs in tow.Finally Dorothy spoke."Miss Relena is happy."

Milliardo followed his sister until she was out of sight."Yes, she finally is."

I know that this is shorter than the other parts, but I had decided that this is a good place to end this part.I hope that you had enjoyed this part.I am in the midst of writing the next part, but it will be a long time before I'm ready to put it up.

Just a reminder, Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me, so standard disclaimers are still functional.*giggle* And I appreciate feedbacks, so email me at [aylah001@yahoo.com][1]. If you want to read previous parts, go to my website at [http://www.geocities.com/aylah001/][2]. Until then…

   [1]: mailto:aylah001@yahoo.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/aylah001/



	5. Part 5

thesecondwar5

Here is the next part of this fic.Just a reminder, standard disclaimers still apply.So GW does not belong to me.Rather, this is for the enjoyment of GW fans.I know that this has taken a long time, so I'm really sorry about it.Please enjoy part 5 of The Second War.

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The Second War

Part 5

By [Era-chan][1]

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Lady Une stared at the people sitting around the table.They had come for the important meeting being held in the Preventers HQ.They were all-important personages and had played critical roles during the war, in many different ways.One had befriended a certain braided Gundam pilot.Another had been the granddaughter of the headmaster of the Romefeller Foundation.An older one had rebelled during the war.While another had become Queen of the World, had been the adopted daughter of the previous foreign minister, and a symbol of peace for the people, a gigantean feat for the young one.As for the other four, they piloted the Gundams, mechs suits that had been built to protect the colonies from the Earth Alliance.Lastly, the last two were the former Lightning Baron and his best friend, the one who protected his younger sister from harm.Unfortunately one important person wasn't with them, having been hard to find.

Lady Une's gaze turned to the four newcomers, who had been insisted upon by the vice foreign minister. 'They deserved to know,' Relena told her a few moments ago.'They were caught in the middle and needs to know everything.'The brunette had agreed, but as for the other two intruders…Her brown eyes rested upon the two dogs sitting near the feet of the vice foreign minister.Relena had shrugged and had given her a pleading look.Lady Une had sighed in defeat and let the dogs come into the room.

Now they were assembled and the meeting took place.Lady Une decided to drop the bombshell.

"We have a problem."

Raised eyebrows at this but no one replied.They waited for the explanation.

"We looked at all the information that we got from the disk, not counting the files that Heero held back.I had sent some to investigate and they returned with more bad news."She opened the folder in front of her and reviewed what she had read numerous times before the meeting."From one headquarter, we had accounted 20,000 mechs suits built and 50,000 soldiers residing in the enemy line."She looked up."That's just only one.Counting the 50 and so organizations, within various stages of armory already built, it is estimated that over a million had already been built and so on."

Quatre frowned."So it means that Grey is well prepared."

Lady Une nodded."Yes."

Relena spoke up."So what do you think we should do, Lady Une?"

"Get going.They are way ahead of us.We have to move now."Lady emphasized the last sentence.

There was a click."We don't think so."

Before the occupants in the room could move, they were quickly surrounded.All the men, with the exception of the blond Arab, swore either mentally or vocally, at their stupidity.They didn't even have time to be prepared for the unexpected attack.

Lady Une stared at the young blonde man holding the gun at them.He had been one promising cadet, and now she realized that he was an enemy."Why are you doing this?"

The young man stared back at her emotionlessly.He didn't say a thing.Another man looked at the two dogs, who had not risen from the floor but had huddled nearer to Relena."Foolish beings."

Relena glared at the man while she held the dogs to her more closely.She knew that he thought the dogs were cowards and had not suspected that attack.But she had a feeling that Hiro and Ririna were smarter than what the man had thought.Her confidence in their abilities held no restrictions, as was her feelings for a certain brown-haired young man.

The dogs stared at the men calmly.No outward movement showed their reactions.They pretended to act dumb, but in reality their sharp senses had detected the men before the humans had.They didn't do anything, having been taught to use their advantages before attacking.So the two dogs waited for their chance.

The dogs didn't have to wait long.One of the men had made the mistake of standing near the dogs, a mistake that will cost him greatly.

The man was standing near the Vice Foreign Minister.He had stationed himself as the one who will target the young woman, along with another man.Though the other man had chosen the wise decision of standing near the wall, not near enough to the dogs but close enough to react quickly if the young woman made any sudden moves.But even he won't be spared from the dog's attacks.

Hiro turned his head and stared intently at his target.The man had no clue that he was going to be attacked, and no one noticed the dog's preoccupied gaze.Ririna sat patiently by their master's side, waiting for the other dog's move.

As the man shifted a little, the bigger dog made his move.Hiro leap toward the man and snatched the gun in his hand away.Without pause, he threw the gun behind him.Ririna, who had leap after Hiro, in turn snatched the gun up.In a synchronic act, this went on for nearly all of the soldiers.The dogs had moved extremely fast, having been taught by the best trainer on Earth and the colonies.Each gun that Ririna threw were accurately caught by the experienced, notably the ones that had fought by using weaponry.As chaos reigned, the dogs moved in a way that protected their master, though it didn't look like it.Though Lucrezia Noin stood near the vice foreign minister, guarding her from the others, the dogs still used their vast abilities to help when needed, even if they had considerably done enough as it is.

The tide had turned.In the beginning, Grey had the upper hand.Now, the balance was now on the good guys.Bloodshed and death were necessary if the light had to survive.Thus the darkness must be vanquished for the sake of the future and peace of the world.That is what all were fighting for: peace and happiness.

The enemy soon deteriorated until only the blond man was left.Some of the soldiers lay dead; others were unconscious, do to the massive blows from the experienced protagonists.Weapons had been striped from the traitors and were now being used by the other side.The last man standing, the blond man was cornered.The dogs stood in front of the young blonde woman who had not taken any arms, yet still close enough to be a threat to the man.The braided American pilot and his Latin comrade were standing on each of his sides, while the other two Gundam pilots were either in front or in back of him.His only venue of escape was blocked by the former Lightning Baron, who stood in front of the door, while his watchful eyes and the barrel of his gun were trained on his own.The females were in various locations in the room, though they were near to each other for support and have more of an advantage to balance each other's weaknesses.

The young man knew he was in a dead end situation.He knew even if he tried to shoot, he would be killed instantly.And even if he tried to fight back, he would be outnumbered.He sized the situation and knew what he had to do.He straightened up and stood proudly.With a sardonic grin, he put the gun near his temple.Before the Gundam pilots could reach him, the young blond man shot himself in the temple, killing himself instantly.

Duo immediately went to the fallen man.He checked to see for a pulse and found none. He cursed at the actions of the man, their only hope of interrogation as of that moment, had been immediately killed by that gunshot.He looked up at others and shook his head."He's gone."

Quatre nodded and went to check on the others.Milliardo, who had been standing guard of the door, went outside to see if there was more.Lady Une got out her cell phone to call for reinforcements.Trowa and Wufei began to gather the few unconscious men left and searched them for any more weapons.The women, with the exception of Sally and Noin, found places where they were not hindering the men, and where no bodies lay on the floor.The two older women helped Trowa and Wufei with the men, carrying the weapons found from the enemies in their arms.

Relena closed her eyes and turned her head away.She had seen a lot during the wars, yet the young man's actions had saddened her.In a way, it reminded her of the Gundam pilot who had tried to self-destruct himself, along with his Gundam, nearly three years ago.When he had done that, she had nearly died.The pillar of strength and a soul of such innocence would have been lost.But hope and her boundless confidence on him kept her from doing any drastic measures.When she had heard about his recovery, from her investigations and with the meetings from the families that he had visited when he had killed the pacifist leaders of the Earth Alliance, she had felt immense relief and happiness.Her feelings for him grew, though they were already limitless in her view.The present event had left her with a determination and strength of will for the upcoming war.She realized that the new organization was serious and that there was no hope for any negotiation for reconcilement.It was either a war or no war at all.Though she had no way of stopping the war from happening, she will do her utmost best to make sure that the world knows about Grey, and to let them be prepared.That was the only thing she can do for now, the only thing she was good for at the present.Two wet noses nudging her hand cut off her thoughts.Relena looked down at her two dogs, who were staring at her with looks of encouragement.The young woman felt that the two animals had sensed her depressing thoughts and were now trying to cheer her up.Relena smiled and scratched them behind their ears."Don't worry.I'm not losing hope," she whispered to them.Her eyes became determined."I'll _never_ lose hope."

Across the room from the vice foreign minister, Midii Une closed her eyes from the bodies in the room.It had reminded her of her past, her betrayal to the rebels that had included the man she now knew as Trowa Barton.The dead bodies, they had died for their beliefs.This carnage was a reminder of what was in the future for them all.She had the feeling that the upcoming war was going to be worse to her and to the ones she loved.She put her arms around herself, trying to stop the shivers coming unexpectedly.Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder.She looked up to meet the emerald eyes of the man she loved.

"Are you alright?" Trowa asked.

Midii nodded her head."I had seen a lot worse."She was silent for a moment as she looked around the room.Then she returned her gaze back to the Latin pilot."This is just the beginning of what we have to face, isn't it."There was a grim note in her voice, a note that the man beside her understood fully.

"This is small compared to what we have to face when the war will officially begin."Trowa squeezed the young woman's shoulder for a moment and then let go.He returned back to helping Wufei with the men.

Midii stared after him, her gaze becoming soft for a moment and then hardened.She had a feeling that this new war would be the worst.The past wars were mere shadows compared to the new war.Her gut clenched when she thought about her family.She had learned a lot about her older relative, who had done many things that the older woman had been sorry about.The older woman had a split personality, something that happened when the brunette met the Oz leader, Treize Kushrenada.The brown-haired woman had loved the man so much that she had torn herself into two to become the ruthless commander and the posed pacifist woman separately.Lady Une had gathered herself back together after he had died.She had taken his daughter, Marimeia, under her wing, caring for the young girl as if she was her own.Midii wished with all her heart that both she and Lady Une wouldn't have their loved ones taken away from them.They had lost so many, and had gained so much experience that it had weighted them down.But from sorrow came joy.Lady Une gained a family she had never known and Midii again met the man she had never forgotten.Both women will never let the new threat pull them down back to the paths that they had walked nearly three years ago.They had something to protect, and beliefs to upheld.Not even the new war would crush their spirit.They had arisen from the ashes and became anew. No war would conquer their spirits…ever.

Meiran stared unseeingly at the room.She had turned inward, not from the terrifying scene in the room, but from deep thinking.This had reminded her of the first and only fight she had been on with the enemy, the result of her amnesia, and to her husband's eyes, her death.She had felt such intense pain as she had been blown up with the enemy suit that she had blacked out.She had no idea what ever happened afterwards, but later awoke with no memories beforehand.Seeing the dead bodies reminded her of Wufei's admission.She had no idea what he had went through, but if she had been someone who cared for one of these men intimately, then she knew what she would feel if she held their dying form in her arms.Intense pain so acute that she would wish to the gods to let her die right then and there.Meiran closed her eyes and clenched her fists to stop the show of emotion those thoughts generated.She opened her eyes as she felt someone stand in front of her.Black onyx eyes, eyes more fathomless than hers, in her opinion, stared intently at her, no emotion showing in their depths.

"You okay?"Wufei's voice held its usual tone, though there was an underlying note of concern, if one were listening carefully.

Meiran inwardly grinned, though her expression remained impassive.She had known Wufei a lot before the war, so she knew a lot more of him before he changed and became the experienced Gundam pilot three years ago.She nodded her head in affirmative.

Wufei stared at her for a moment longer before he was satisfied that the young Chinese woman was okay, then he returned back to his task.He never saw her eyes stay on him, but mayhap he might had felt their gaze on his sensitive soul, though he would never admit it, to himself and to others, especially the young woman who proclaims she is his wife.

Quatre had gone to all the women, asking them if they were okay.Lastly he went to the heir of the Romefeller Foundation, Dorothy Catolonia.The young blonde woman sat where she was after the mayhem had subsided.She was staring pensively at the table, which had retained no bloody carcass upon its shining surface.The blond Arab stared for a moment at the picture she made.It tugged his heart to feel her inner turmoil, and made the organ weep as he felt her soul ask for help.He felt compelled to wrap his arms around her, and he had no such qualms of doing just that.

Dorothy felt warm, muscular arms wrap around her shoulders.She already knew whom they belonged to, yet she raised her eyes to meet his.What she saw made her want to lower her gaze again, but she didn't.She wanted to drown at the blue eyes of his, and shed her mental shields off.But she couldn't.If she did, then she would be vulnerable to hurt and mayhap taint his pure soul with her own.He may have killed many, but he hadn't enjoyed killing them, unlike her who had, or who believed she had.She had played a role during the previous wars that made her his enemy, even if he hadn't seen it that way.Thus she shunned from his blinding light, not from fright, but to make sure that his light will always shine bright and clear, never grim and dark, as hers was.

Quatre saw enough in her eyes to know what she was thinking.His arms tightened a little, as if to keep her from running away.His eyes became determined; though it still kept its soft gaze on her own gray ones.He slowly lowered his head until his mouth was near her ear."Dorothy, don't.You deserve all the happiness that comes your way.Don't return back to the lonely girl that hid from her true self.Everyone deserves happiness, even you," he whispered.

Dorothy shook her head."Even if all I wanted was to protect someone from my own dark light?"This was said more to herself than to him.

Quatre was surprised, though the young blonde woman in his arms didn't see it, her focus returning on the table in front of her.He wondered whom she wanted to protect.Deep down in his heart, he wanted it to be him.It was a selfish thought, yet he let himself go down the path that his thought made.He mentally shook his head and tampered down his hope for now.It wasn't time for this; the young woman in his arms needed comfort, and he was the one who will give her that, and more.

"Dorothy, don't think like that.I told you three years ago that you have a pure heart, and you still do.Snap out of it!"He put his hands on her cheeks so that she would look at him and not anywhere else."You are a beautiful young woman, courageous and strong-willed.Not everyone could have done what you have done without unjust cause.You must have had a hard life.Whatever you have done during the war, you did it because you played a role.Now that the war is over, you don't have to."He wiped the tear that slid down her cheek with his thumb."Let it be, Dorothy.You're not alone now.And never will be."

Dorothy stared at the deep blue eyes that gazed back at her.She didn't realize that she was shedding tears, crystal droplets that slid down her smooth pale skin.Nor did she realize that she was leaning on his hands, moving her cheeks in a caress.But the man, whose heart she could break with just one cruel move, noticed and inwardly gave a cry of joy.His hope rose as with each passing second, the young woman stayed rooted to his hands, letting their warmth seep into her lonely soul.

The young couple stood there, letting their presence comfort the other.Others saw and kept their silence, giving the couple their privacy.The two blond, though, didn't take notice.It was a time where all barriers were torn down by a mutual event that had resurfaced the dark memories of the past.A time where one's worries are ignored and the moment has to be cherished for the comfort that it offered through the dismal reality that will resurface once it intrudes back to one's conscious.The time must be lived to the fullest, for who knows if there would be a next time.From grim reality to unknown depths, the experience was a memory that would forever be in the young couple's mind, a ready memory to be reminiscence in the future.Why not?It was the time that all was right between them.Feelings hidden from each other were expressed in other more visible ways.A moment that reality had to disrupt as soon as the young man took his hand away from the velvety skin of the young woman.

Quatre gave Dorothy one last smile before he returned back to the help the others.He felt her gaze wash over him, even if he was turned away from him.He knew, without giving a backward glance at her, that she was gazing at him without her mask on.His spirit was buoyed by the knowledge.He had finally reached the true Dorothy.Now all he had to do was make sure that she won't ever be alone again.He put that thought at the back of his mind to focus on the problem at hand.

Hilde closed her eyes from the carnage she saw in the room.She had never thought to see this scenario ever again.Her hope had been dashed when she had heard of the new threat, and now this grim scene had dashed her last hope away.She wondered why couldn't people learn from the mistakes of the past, when only sorrow and destruction were the only outcome of wars so ridden with hate and anger.But then, Grey had been older than Oz and the Alliance, so perhaps the masterminds of the organization had just ignored the failures of the two organizations of the first war.

Arms of steel wrapped around her waist and Hilde leaned back into her boyfriend's warmth, seeking the comfort it has given her ever since she had met him.He didn't talk, his presence the only thing that she needed right now.For a moment, Hilde let herself forget of the oncoming war and just let her mind wander to the years she had spent with her American boyfriend.She saw, in her mind's eyes, the happiness she saw in his eyes, the shadows banished from their violet depths.Now they would be back, and this time in greater depth, as her gut feeling told her.

Hilde straightened and opened her eyes.The arms wrapped around her reluctantly let her go, and she turned around to meet the concerned eyes of the man she love with all her heart and soul.She gave him a tentative smile."I'll be fine, Duo."Her gaze turned to the other men working on restoring order in the room."You better go back to the others.They need you."

Duo stared back at her."You sure you're alright, Hilde?"

Hilde nodded her head.

Duo gazed intently at his girlfriend.Dark blue eyes gazed back at him with determination and love.Satisfied with what he saw, he gave her a small peck on her cute nose."That's my babe."He kissed her again and left to help his friends.

The group went on with their tasks as time passed.Lady Une, after a final word, shut off her cell phone.Her figure radiated anger.She was upset that Grey had infiltrated the Preventers, the main force of stopping any disruptions of the peace that had been acquired through bloodshed and death.She had worked so hard for the peace; she sure won't let the enemy get the better of them.Her attention went to the door, where the former Lightning Baron walked in.

Milliardo Peacecraft frowned, deep in thought even as he stared at the others.His gaze immediately went to the two most important people in his life.They stared right back at him, their gazes giving him the strength that had been shaken a while ago, when the attack came unexpectedly.He had been tensed with adrenaline, his foremost thought having been to protect his love and his younger sister from harm.It had made his blood ran cold with trepidation when he had seen the two men standing guard near his precious sister.Anger at himself and at the new enemy had surged up, but had been tampered down as he had met the dark blue eyes of his best friend.They had shared the same emotion, an occurrence that had always been between them ever since they had met a long time ago.It had been a blessing in disguise, and one that will always be there between the two.

"Did you find anything, Milliardo?" Lady Une asked, worry about more traitors in the Preventers foremost in her mind.

Milliardo turned to the head of the Preventers.He gave an affirmative nod, as his countenance grew grim."Yes.It appears that there were more spies than I had thought."At the question in the brown-haired woman's eyes, he further explained about his discovery."I found more of them on the hallway."His eyes hardened."They were all dead."

Lady Une was surprised."How?"

Milliardo didn't say a word, but the other Gundam pilots precisely guessed who had done the deed.They didn't voice it out loud, though.It was pretty clear that only _he_ could have done it.

It was Relena who said it out loud for them."Heero."There was great sadness in her voice, one that she didn't deny to the others.She sympathized with the man she loved with all her heart.She wanted him to not kill anymore, hoping to fulfill his wish of not killing again.The hope of this wish died down.It looks like that he had started to kill again.Her heart wailed at the unfairness of the fate given to the man she loved with all her being.Unbidden, a lone tear fell down her cheek, testament of what she was feeling.

The dogs at her side whined and licked her hands.They didn't want to see her sad, a sense that was a great gift for these animals.As with their trainer, they wanted their master to be happy.Deep down in their guts they knew that only the two could help each other become happy.

Before they could do anything more, they heard, with their acute hearing, a noise that only their trainer could have made.Taking the room's occupants by surprise, they bounded to their feet and ran out of the room.They disappeared down the hall, keeping into the shadows, their focus on their goal.

Down the halls they went, going left and right, their noses leading them to their trainer with accuracy.They stopped at one door at the end of a hallway.It opened and the dogs ran in.The door closed after them and the room returned back in darkness.The dark figure got down on his knees and let the dogs lick his hands.He scratched them behind the ears automatically.The dogs, used to his silence, sighed happily under his ministrations.Though he didn't look like it, he did care about them, as their dogs' senses told them acutely.Like their female master, he was gentle.But unlike her, he was strict and had taught them the necessities to protect her.They had understood that she was important, to him and to others.It gave them great pride to protect someone who was really close to the man who trained them.

The dark figure stood up and walked toward the other end of the room, his eyes adjusted to the dark already.The dogs followed right behind him, awaiting his next orders.He led them to some crates, where his laptop was laid on one of them.He turned it on, and began to type.The dogs sat down, relaxed but their gazes still upon their trainer.

After a while, the dark figure turned to the dogs.In his native language, he gave them their new orders.The dogs gave short barks to tell him that they understood.He turned off the laptop and returned back to the door, opening it to let them out.Without a backward glance, the two dogs ran back to their master, the female that they sworn to protect.

Isn't it getting interesting?*giggle*Well, I just want to tell you all that the next part won't come out for a LONG time.I just had some other stuff that is taking some time.Until then, go to my website for previous parts at [Era-chan's Lovely Little Corner][2].

   [1]: mailto:aylah001@yahoo.com?subject=tsw5
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/aylah001/



	6. Part 6

            Finally!  The next part is done!!  I must say this is truly hard, since I had been sidetracked by other stories.  But no matter, I'm still here.  And this story is still ongoing.  This is definitely going to be long.  Anyway, more about my ramblings at the end of this part.  So read it, k?

            Well, standard disclaimers are still operational.  So it means that GW doesn't belong to me.  Other than that, enjoy this long awaited part.  Oh yeah, about the 10+ pages.  This took 11 pages, so I could say that I met my goal.  snicker  Pathetic of me, isn't it.

The Second War Part 6 

By Era-chan

Relena frowned.  She stared at the papers in her hands, conveying the urgent news that she had to take care of because of her position.  Yet she couldn't stay focused on them.  Ever since the interrupted meeting, the group had grown tense.  Lady Une had taken more precautions in Preventers recruitment, and had begun the task of reviewing the soldiers for more spies.  She had help with, Relena knew, from the Perfect Soldier, wherever he was.  Hiro and Ririna had returned, after the group had begun the task of cleaning the hallways.  She didn't know where they had went, but she didn't question it.  They could have heard more traitors, since they do have superior hearing than humans.  She buried her other suspicion that they might went to their previous master.  It was something that she hoped would not happen, since she had grown attached to the two dogs.

            It had been a busy time.  The four Gundam pilots had gone to the Preventer headquarters, to get prepared for their journey to Japan.  They had to take many precautions, or else the enemy might be on to them.  That was why they were taking their time to go there.  It was not the time for the suits to be in action, but for more stealthy human actions.  They needed more information, and have to get the other Preventers ready for active duty.  Since they were Gundam pilots, and professionals at what they were doing, they had command on small troops.  Milliardo also have his own group to lead.  Each man now had felt the weight of fighting for peace again.  Each can foreseen that the war ahead was going to be huge, and many people will die.

            Lucrezia had gone with Milliardo to the Preventers.  She was going to help with the preparations.  She had wanted to go, but hesitated because she didn't want to leave behind Relena unguarded.  Relena had told her to go, pointing out that she had enough guards to protect her from harm.  Besides, she also has a martial artist, an ex-Oz officer, a professional fencer, and an ex-spy with her.  Milliardo, who had looked between the two, decided to bring Lucrezia with him, since it looked like his little sister was not going to back down.  He had wanted Lucrezia to stay, but it looks like that he was outnumbered.

So Relena had won, and was now busy with her own paperwork.  She was now stuck in her study, where she had conducted all the business associated with her job.  She had left the other girls to find their own amusements, which they had done.  The security in the Peacecraft grounds had doubled, to protect herself and the people with her.  All the staff had also been reviewed, as a precaution of more spies within the protected walls of the mansion.  Milliardo had skipped the bodyguards, which had confused Relena.  He had explained that they were trustworthy, and left it at that.  Relena had not asked why, and just left it there.  She trusted her older brother explicitly.  Though he had done many things in the past, she knew that he would never harm her.  Misguided, he could do many stupid things, but he would do it within reason.  Relena had understood what was going on with him, and had forgiven him for his actions.  He may be overprotective, but he was a great brother.  Thank goodness that he had Lucrezia.  She will always be beside him, Relena knew for a fact.  She wondered when would her brother ask his beloved the question.  She grinned in thought.  Knowing her brother, he's going to take his time.  This was a huge step for him, one that will tie him to Lucrezia forever.

Relena put down the paper she was reading, her mind not up to the task.  She couldn't really focus on her work, the impending war holding her attention too much for her to relax.  And she should relax.  Too much tension had already arisen from the new threat.  It was making her world return back to the dreary one that she had during the war.  Yet Grey was larger and a bigger threat to the new peace.  The new organization had been well prepared for a new war, a new battle where many lives will perish under the misguided ideas of others.  People who had been too impatient for peace to take place, and for all the hardships it brought.  No one knew that the end of a war brought many hardships.  Peace is not easy; it can't be obtained that quickly.  It takes effort and the people to make it work.  How it was done is different for people.  As Relena is doing now, taking a path toward peace.  Helping the people take the steps, in a path that she hoped would help both the Earth and the colonies in the years.  But now that her efforts had proven futile, she knew that it was time to make sure that the people knew about Grey.  Thus, she had to take care of some loose ties and take the next step of her new path.  Relena knew that she was a threat to Grey, and most likely will be targeted.  But she also knew that Grey had more motives, and more spies, to make their accession more easily.

Relena turned her chair around to stare out of the windows.  She stared sightlessly at the beautiful scenario outside her study, her mind on more important things.  Usually it would calm her, make her relax, as she admired the serenity of the picture that the windows presented to her.  In a short time, the beauty of the place would turn dire and black.   Grey won't care about the peace, only causing chaos and death.  Humanity was going back to the dark, bleak world of war.  It was going to be tough that was for sure.  All the innocent people, all the ones that fought during the war for a better world, will be back, fighting again for the peace and tranquility of the world.  Their world.  They will be killed, or they will survive.  Their soul would be torn and bitter, slowly dying inside.  She had fought to keep the innocence in the people.  She wanted them to have normal lives, far from the ones that they had known during the war.  She wanted them to live.  Especially _him_.  She became the Vice Foreign Minister of the ESUN for _him_.  So that he wouldn't fight anymore.

A sob shook her frame.  Then another.  She brought her hands toward her face, trying to muffle the noise she was making.  Yet she kept crying.  Her sacrifice had been for nothing.  Peace had been so short and fleeting.  The past two years wouldn't have been enough for the one that she loved with her whole heart to recover his humanity.  She knew that he hadn't even started the journey toward his recovery.  Heero must have known about Grey and had been investigating on his own.  Why else would he have kept everything to himself.  He wanted peace, and he would have done everything within his powers to make sure peace was upheld.  He was the Perfect Soldier.  True peace couldn't be achieved if some people kept waging war.  He had to make sure that all the oppositions were obliterated.  His spiritual release was not meant to be.

Brushing the tears away with the back of her hand, Relena tried to compose herself.  She took a deep breath, and released it, along with the tension gripping her, and all the thoughts that had been disturbing her.  She decided that she needed a break from everything.  She got up and went out of her study, thinking to get some refreshments to soothe her.

Passing the door that was assigned to her bodyguards, she heard a voice within.  Though the door distorted the voice, the meaning of the words that it spoke was clear to her.  From a quick deduction, Relena thought that the bodyguards were getting a lecture about their work, from the person who hired them.  Curious as to who was behind all this, she opened the door, forgetting to knock.

The dark-haired figure stood in front of all her bodyguards, staring at them with his cold expression.  He could tell that the men were getting uncomfortable beneath his gaze, but gave no hint of their discomfort.  But he wasn't fooled.  He knew that they were scared; he could see it in their eyes.  No one could detect emotions better than him.  Except for _her_.   She could look someone in the eye and recognize the person within the cold outer shell.  He should know.  She found _him_.  And it scared the hell out of him.  He wanted to run away from her, yet her light drew him back.  No matter how many times that he tried to kill her, he never could.  What power she has on him.  It was unbelievable.  She was the only person who could literally put him on his knees.  She was his only weakness.  But if she was his weakness, then she was also his greatest strength.  If any harm ever fell upon her person, he would be the one who will give retribution to the enemies.  It would bring the best out of him, that's a fact.  No better protector could ever replace him.  For this reason, he was going to protect Relena.  This time not in the shadows, but by her side.

"I had read your report concerning the airport incident."  He paused, letting the silence become unbearable before he continued.  "I found it irrelevant that you didn't take immediate actions.  Nor did you made a thorough search of the airport."  He put down the report that he had printed out about the airport incident.  He glared at them.  "Ms. Peacecraft was near danger, yet your actions were not fast enough.  If one of the bullets had hit her…" His gaze was enough to let the men get the message.

Relena, who had heard enough, felt it was time she intervened.  She cleared her throat, and all the men, with the exception of the dark-haired figure, turned around to look at the newcomer.  When they realized who it was, they stood up.  Relena bade them to sit down, but the men hesitated, glancing at their boss.  The dark-haired figure nodded at them to do so, and the men sat down.

Relena returned her gaze to the speaker, whom she now learned hired her bodyguards.  She made herself calm her beating heart, and spoke clearly.

"It was not entirely their fault.  They didn't anticipated what happened.  Besides, as you can see, I'm fine."  She saw the disbelief in his eyes, which had been quickly swept away.  Forgetting the men, she said his name.  "Heero."

Heero gazed back at her.  "Relena, I hired them to become your bodyguards.  I wouldn't have hired them if I didn't find them exceptional of protecting you. I researched each individual for any flaws that would make them unacceptable.  If I hadn't found these men, I would be here to protect you by myself."

Relena felt her heart lurch.  Oh, how she wanted him to protect her.  But it was selfish of her to make him stay as her bodyguard.  First of all, she wanted him to find himself.  She wanted him to have a life of his own.  A place where no battles or war would ever disrupt his peace.  She hadn't had a clue that he had been protecting her, in his own way.  That he was nearby, looking after her.

"In fact, after this incident, I have decided that you need better protection.  For now on, I'm going to be by your side as your personal bodyguard."  He stared icily at the men.  "I'll be personally giving you orders.  Don't fail me."

The men stared at each other, and the same thought were in their eyes.  If they were to fail at protecting the vice foreign minister even once, they will face dire consequences, for sure.  It was not a good thought.  And it effectively made them determined to protect their ward.  Or else their boss would give them the boot.

Relena stared intently at the dark-haired young man that she had met nearly three years ago.  He hadn't changed much, in the sense that he was still the Perfect Soldier, never showing his emotions and always thinking about the mission.  Yet he had grown, that was for sure.  The boy he was then had grown into a young man whose dark looks had finally asserted itself.  His dark locks were still the disheveled brown that she had wanted desperately to brush away from his enigmatic face.  His Prussian blue eyes were still the same, never showing his emotions, and keeping them deep within himself.  His chiseled features had lost its childhood fat, defining his face well.  He had grown taller, not as tall as Trowa, yet taller than Quatre.  He is probably near the middle between the five Gundam pilots, discounting her brother, of course.  He still has muscles, due to his training, and whatever he was doing recently.  He was dressed in a dark blue suit, with dark suede shoes to complete the ensemble.  He was immaculate, dressed like a gentleman, yet his unruly hair was the only sign of his ruggedness.

Right now, he was staring right back at her.  Relena couldn't say a word.  _He_ was here.  Beside her as her own personal bodyguard.  She had never thought this day would ever happen.  But now that it has…she was inwardly ecstatic.  Putting on her own mask of indifference, she acknowledged the situation.  Heero returned it then he returned back to the men.

"All of you will find your next assignment in the office.  You are all dismissed."  With that, he walked toward Relena.  He opened the door and gestured for her to go out first.  He closed the door after them, and the two walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

On the way, Heero and Relena passed the room where Hilde was using for her Sweepers business.  She looked up from her paperwork as they passed by, and caught sight of Heero.

"Heero?!"

The two stopped as Hilde got up and went around the desk toward them.  She smiled at the young man who she presumed Duo's best friend, as the American pilot had called him as such.

Heero acknowledged the greeting.

Hilde was unperturbed.  "When did you arrive?"

"A few days ago."

Hilde raised an eyebrow, yet Heero kept quiet about it.  She turned her gaze to Relena, and the young blonde woman shook her head in denial of knowing about this information.

Before Hilde could ask another question, Dorothy came, Hiro and Ririna tagging along.  As the two dogs caught sight of their trainer, they ran toward him.  Heero commanded them in his native language, and the two dogs stopped in front of him, wagging their tails.

The three women shared a look.  Now they know whom Hiro and Ririna belonged to.  Heero intercepted the look.  He turned to Relena.

"They belong to you."

Relena shook her head.  "It seems that Hiro and Ririna knows you."

"They do.  I trained them to protect you.  As such, they are yours."

Relena opened her mouth to refute it, but she felt a wet nose nudging her hand.  She looked down to see a pair of Prussian eyes staring up at her.

Heero saw the affectionate action.  "Are you denying it?"

Relena returned her gaze back to Heero.  "No, I'm not."

"Good."  He brushed his hand down the smaller dog, making her wag her tail in joy.

Relena, finding that she couldn't think of a reply, left the other two women behind after a word, and the two of them returned the trek toward the kitchen, this time with Hiro and Ririna tagging along.

The silence between them was comfortable.  The four of them, including the two mammals, passed down the elaborate hallways and passages, passing a maid or two on the way.  Relena acknowledged them, and they returned the gesture.  Heero, on the other hand, kept his eyes out.  He gave a short command in his native tongue at the two dogs, who split up, Ririna ahead of them, and Hiro behind them.

In a nonchalant way, Relena spoke.

"That was Japanese?"

"Yes."

Relena gave him a sidelong glance.  "What did you tell them?"

Heero didn't even glance at her.  "A command."

"I see."  Relena returned her gaze back to the front.  After a moment, her curiosity got the better of her.  "And what is the command?"

Heero didn't reply at first.  Then he turned his gaze on Relena, who returned it.  "One that will protect you."  With that, he broke their eye contact.

Relena knew that the Gundam pilot wouldn't tell her anymore.  He was just like that.  Yet it didn't stop her for wishing that he would talk more and open himself up to her.  But she knew that it was something that she couldn't hold up to.  Not right now when the impeding war was looming over them all.  Not when he didn't had the chance to have a normal life.

The four of them finally arrived at the kitchen.  Pagan, who had been overlooking the staff in preparation of dinner, glanced at them in surprise.  But he got back into his role quickly.

The old man bowed.  "Good afternoon, Miss Relena.  Mr. Yuy."

Relena smiled at the old man, who had been beside her for nearly all of her life.  "Good afternoon, Pagan."  She acknowledged the staff.  "Everyone."

Heero just stared at them silently, his presence filling the room with his dangerous and powerful aura.  Instinctively, the staff reacted to him, giving him a wider berth, and with a cautious glance now and then.  It was pretty clear to them that this young man was extremely someone that they didn't want to disappoint, or disagree with.  He was standing protectively beside their young princess, a dangerous protector that they rather not disobey.

Relena didn't notice the staff's preoccupation, since she already knew that the young man beside her was everything that the staff had thought of him.  Instead, she went to the huge refrigerator, and opened it.  Pagan caught the staff's attention and work was resumed.  No one, with the exception of Heero, who was never inattentive, realized that Hiro and Ririna were stationed near each door, except for the one that they had come in, in which Heero had taken in stance.

Relena closed the refrigerator door, after taking out a can of iced tea.  She glanced at Heero in inquiry, and Heero gave an imperceptible shake of his head.  Smiling at the maid who handed her a glass with ice cubes in it, she walked out of the kitchen and back down at the hallway.  Heero was beside her the instant that she left the room, the two dogs going back to their usual position.

The four of them walked down the long hallway.  Instead of going back the way she had come, she opened one of the many doors that were on each side of the hallway.  It opened into a tiny room, with a spiral staircase on the far side of the small room.  Ririna went up first, with Relena following the female dog.  At the end of the stairs was a door, which Relena opened.  It led into a one of the numerous surrounding balconies, yet this one was secluded and small.  Only a patio table and four chairs were on it, with some plants to give it a refreshing look.  As soon as they arrived, Hiro and Ririna looked around the small space.

Heero closed the door behind him and followed the young blonde woman toward the chairs.  He waited until she set down the glass and can, then sat down on one of the chairs as soon as she sat down.  He had already gotten the perimeter of the place with a single glance.  With the added protection of the two dogs, he didn't worry _that_ much of her safety.  Though he would always worry about it, since she is the vice foreign minister.  Her job brought her to the forefront, and to the danger of being the target of numerous organizations.  Most especially Grey, who wanted the Dove of Peace terminated instantly.

The organization was composed of numerous, smaller organizations.  Grey had begun even before the wars had started.  Heero, perusing the files that he had withheld from the others, presumed that Grey is nearly a hundred years old, if his calculations were correct.  It had even been there since the first year of A.C.  It was a big problem for them.  If what Heero had read was true, then Grey had various skills from the past.  As the top-secret files he had taken had given this input, it also gave him the idea that what they were dealing with was more than they can handle.  Even this fact didn't bother the Perfect Soldier.  The odds may be against them, but they will prevail.  He was sure of it.

"Heero, what's the matter?"

Heero got out of his musings, turning instinctively toward his angel's voice.  Concerned blue eyes stared deeply at him, penetrating the shield that he had ever since he was young, shattering the shell that he had hidden his heart, and bringing light within his soul.  The only one who could see _him_.  The only person that he was scared of.  Yet this thought didn't made him panic.  Yes, he did want to flee, but it was a feeling he had associated to the boy that was lost.  Something that the young woman beside him would understand.  As she had seen the real him, he had seen the real her.  The person that hid from the world her loneliness; vulnerable yet strong; fragile yet strong.  A contradiction of a person.  Just like him.  It was unnerving, how she could detect any nuance of change, how she could see the real person beneath the façade, and yet kept quiet about it.

"Nothing."

Relena stared at him one more time, then returned her gaze at the scenery in front of her.

Heero didn't let himself glance her way.  He had let himself become more human, when the time wasn't right.  They had more things to worry about, and yet he was sitting here and thinking about nonsense.  It was time that he returned back to his job.  As her personal bodyguard, he had to keep her safe from harm, most especially from Grey.  No one would take her away from him.  Peace, as he associated her with, will be upheld.  He will make sure of that.

A wet nose brought him out of his reverie.  Heero looked down and saw Hiro gazing up at him.  He automatically scratched between the dog's ears, making the male dog wag his tail.  With a curt nod, Heero gave the dog a command, and Hiro went back to his prowl.

Relena watched the two.  After taking a sip, she set down her glass and returned her gaze back to the scenery.  She spoke after a moment of thinking.  "It must have been a tough job training them."  She didn't have to be more specific, since both of them knew what she was talking about.  It was a connection that they share, something so unexpected and special that they never talked about it, but rather acknowledged and accepted it.  Or Relena thought Heero did.  She sometimes could never tell what he was thinking, which was something that she was glad about.

"At first it was.  But then they got used to me and it went smoothly afterwards."

Relena hid a grin.  She didn't think that that was how it happened, but she kept her thoughts to herself.  Heero would never elaborate about his work, but she knew better.  She didn't know how, but she could see the _real_ person within the young man beside her.  It was something that she knew that no other person had seen.  It was her wish that he would come out of his shell, and become the person that he is inside.  Her heart cried for the lost young soul, wanting to surround him with all of her love.

Relena grabbed her glass of iced tea for a sip.  "Really."  She stared at the two dogs, who were paying attention to their surroundings, as Heero had told them to do.  "It seems that it would take tremendous time to train them the way that they are."

Heero made a noncommittal sound.

Relena ignored it and kept on with her commentary.  "Hiro and Ririna are young dogs.  Can you keep up with their energy?"

Relena realized the absurdity of the question.  But she just wanted to make some conversation between them.  She couldn't just ask him what he had done for the last two years, even though she was curious about it.  She wanted him to tell her in his own time and by his own admission.

Heero surprised the young woman by answering.

"Being young dogs, they have a lot of energy.  With those energy, I trained them with discipline and guidance."

Relena gazed at the two young dogs.  "I see."  She took another sip then laid the glass down.  "What gave you the idea to name them Hiro and Ririna?"

"It just felt right."

And it did.  Heero turned his gaze to let them rest on the two frolicking dogs supposedly standing guard, which they were.  He had taught them well, surprising them when they were obedient to his every word.  The outward appearance hid deadly warriors.  He had made sure that they would never be trained like him; instead, he used their energies and affection to make they blend with other dogs.

When he had seen them, he knew that they were the ones that he was going to get for her.  Outwardly, they were acted like ordinary pets, but when danger came upon the vice foreign minister, they would instantly changed into the four-legged guards that they were to her.  It wasn't a hard choose when he decided their names.  Ririna had been the first one that he had bought.  He had let her chose Hiro, which he had taken note of in the pet store.  He had been glad that the two of them were comfortable with each other; it had made his task much easier to train them.

"Heero?"

Heero got out of his reverie as he heard Relena call his name.  He inwardly cursed at himself.  He was getting out of shape.  This was not the time for him to think about other things when he had to make sure that Relena was safe from harm, even within her own home.

"What?"

"Where had you been?"

There, it was finally out.  Relena didn't know where she got the courage to finally ask him that question, when she had told herself many times never ask him since she knew, deep within her heart, that wherever he was, he was safe from killing anymore.  Yet she couldn't help but ask him, her feelings demanded an answer.  Is what she had been doing for the last two years a complete failure?  Has he never found the peace that she knew he had been hoping for?  Relena took a deep breath as she waited for Heero to answer her question.

Heero contemplated his answer.  Then he turned his attention on Relena.  "Everywhere."

Relena grew sad.  "Had you never found a place you could call your home, Heero?  Is it so hard for you to at least find a place where you can find serenity within your soul?"

Heero felt his gut clench as the words hit their mark on his soul.  How can this young girl sitting beside him know what he yearned for?  She had always been there, in his mind, never leaving his thoughts alone.  Without her, he wouldn't have survived.  He would still have been out there, wandering around, trying to find his place in the world.  He had left her after the Mariemai attack, but he had felt she would understand his motives.  As he had been moving around, he had always kept watched for her safety, returning to the Peacecraft mansion to keep the hidden cameras in constant reevaluation.  He would never leave her alone, even as he was trying to find himself.  He had been out for more disturbances on peace, keeping a step ahead of the Preventers.  He had also re-built the Gundams for the kind of emergencies that they have right now.

"Relena, there is no home for me.  I had killed many people, innocents and condemned alike.  Any place I go to I'm constantly reminded of my actions.  There is not one face from the crowd that doesn't bring up a face of a victim that I murdered.  I am a tool that people used for war.  A soldier that may be exceptional, but nonetheless one that can get the job done."  He motioned to the dogs.  "Even I trained others to become soldiers."

"That's not true.  I can see that Hiro and Ririna care about you, or else they would not be who they are right now.  We humans are trained to do many things, like which fork to use and how to greet certain people.  There are jobs that cannot be done by people, but there are some who always have them done.  You are a human being, Heero.  You can find a home, if you just try hard enough."

Heero stared at her.  "Then tell me, Relena.  Where is my home?  I have looked everywhere to find a place for me to belong, yet I hadn't find it at all.  As for me trying to find my humanity, look at the new threat.  As a soldier, I am needed.  That is what I am good for."

"You're wrong, Heero.  You are more than a soldier."  Relena didn't know what came over her, but she took his hand within her own.  She could tell that Heero was a little taken aback, but he recovered quickly.  "As for you home…"  As if from far away, she heard herself tell him a glimpse of her soul.

"I hope with me."

When the five Gundam pilots and Lucrezia Noin arrived back at the Peacecraft mansion, they didn't expect the newcomer to appear.  It was a surprise, but they took it in stride.  They greeted the last Gundam pilot, who returned the greeting with a nod.  The girls and Heero, that the six people were tired from their task noted it.  Relena, after giving a cursory glance at her older brother and his best friend, took charge.  She made sure that the six people were brought to their rooms with the admission that they will have their dinners brought up to them.  It was instantly clear that there would be no talk of the upcoming war.  They looked at Heero, who hadn't made any motion to dissuade the young girl from her decision.

At their looks, Heero explained in his monotone voice.  "You won't be any help if you are exhausted.  There is still tomorrow."

That was the last word.  They knew that it was better to follow the orders of the young vice foreign minister.  Even the Perfect Soldier was agreeing with the young girl.  Deep within their minds, they had a suspicion of that the young boy had some feelings for the young girl.  Duo would be the first to comment on that, but after looking at the two closer, he decided not to make a joke about it.  Whatever happened to the two during the day was between them, and it was better left alone.  Instead the American pilot went to his girlfriend, who fussed over him, which he didn't mind at all.

As for the other Gundam pilots, with the exception of the older couple, they went upstairs to their bedrooms.  Quatre politely went upstairs, yet giving Dorothy one last glance before he disappeared down the corner.  He didn't see the young girl return the look before she politely walked away.

Trowa stopped in front of Heero.  He stared at the stoic boy, wondering if he should ask for his comrade's opinion about Midii.  He knew what his comrade would do to make sure that everyone was no threat to the vice foreign minister.  He had figured out something was going on when Heero didn't join them with the battle against both Milliardo and Treize until later on.  He had the feeling that the Perfect Soldier went to the Libra to rescue Relena, and his assumption was correct.  After the war, he had overheard Duo make a comment about it, before the group had went their separate ways.

Truthfully, Trowa was pretty sure that Heero was not all the unemotional person that he is.  In a way, the two boys were alike, that they had been in battles ever since their childhood.  But that was where the similarities come into the fore.  As Trowa hid behind his mask, Heero had to get rid of his emotions.  Yet the emotions were never ridden from him.  Relena made sure of that.  The young girl had freed the boy that had been pushed aside, and made the boy feel.  Like how his sister, Catherine, did to him.  Thinking about her made Trowa feel a wave of emotion so amazing that he felt his throat close.  Catherine was his biological sister.  It was something that he would never have dreamed of.  She had always been like a sister to him, but hearing that she was his real sister was gratifying.  He was thankful for Midii, who had given him this new information.  Speaking of which, he had to know what the Perfect Soldier's opinion was about her.

Heero knew who Trowa was thinking about, and answered the unspoken question that he was required to answer.  "Midii is an exceptional young woman."  He paused and let Trowa think about his words before he made his last comment.  "You're lucky."

Trowa and Heero stared at each other before the Latin pilot broke the contact.  Without a word, he went down the hallway to check on the young woman, who had been bedridden, the orders of Sally Po.

It was only Milliardo, Noin, Relena, Heero, and Wufei left.  The Chinese woman had made herself scarce, thus she wasn't there for the reunion.  Wufei, who ignored the feeling that came when he realized that she wasn't there, duly noted this fact.  Heero watched the Chinese pilot, who disappeared down the hallway toward his bedroom after greeting the others.

Milliardo noticed the look, but made no comment about it.  He was sure that Heero would tell them tomorrow, after they had their rest.  Seeing his young rival had surprised him, as he hadn't thought that Heero would appear this soon.  Yet he had never did predict the young man's actions.  In battle they were equal, but to the machinations of a young boy's mind, especially one that had been trained to be a soldier since childhood, he had no knowledge at all.  The only clear thing that he was truly sure of, was that his rival had feelings for his sister.  And the young soldier doesn't even know it, or would have identified the feelings he had for Relena.  But that was something that he was just going to leave alone.  Right now, he was sure of one thing.

Milliardo turned to Noin.  "As Relena said, why don't we go upstairs and rest."

Before Noin could say a word, Relena gently pushed her toward the stairs.  "Go on, Lucrezia.  The both of you need the rest."

Milliardo ushered Lucrezia up the stairs, giving his sister a grateful look of thanks.  He had felt the exhaustion coming from his beloved, and didn't want to bother her than necessary.  He had done many stupid things, and had hurt her in the consequence.  His courage, though monumental, was weak whenever he thought of the proposal that he wished to give to Lucrezia.  Yet there had never been the right time to ask her, and now that there was this war that will make them busy, he had the thought that he might lose her before he had her.

As the older couple was halfway up the stairs, Heero called up to his rival.  Milliardo stopped and turned around.  The dark-haired young man stared at him impassively, yet his message hit home.

"You better do it now."

Milliardo had the feeling that the two rivals were on the same thought.  He wasn't that surprised that Heero knew that he wanted to propose to Lucrezia, but he wandered how the young man knew.  He decided not to ask.  Instead, he gave an acknowledging nod and led Lucrezia to their bedroom.

Relena gazed curiously at Heero.  Heero noticed the look yet made no comment.  There had been tension between the two of them after the conversation they had at the balcony.  It had been something that both agreed should be left alone, for now.  They had more urgent matters.  There will be time for them to talk again.

Heero knew that he should have given her an answer, but he couldn't at that time.  He had felt so confused when the barge of emotions hit him when she told him to stay with her.  Why would she want him beside her?  A soldier that has blood on his hands from killing so many people.  So he got up without saying a word, leaving her, he was sure, hurt from his callousness.  He didn't want to hurt her, but even when he wasn't trying to, he hurt her with his actions and words.

Why does she care about him?  It was still an enigma to him.  He was a soldier, yet someone cared about him.  People cared about him.  As his comrades, he hadn't given them a thought.  But they had stood by him, even if they didn't know a lot about his past.  Or him.  Relena had distracted him on many occasions, clearly making her presence visible, and never backing down from being his constant target.  He knew that she had seen a part of him that he doesn't know, a mystery that still lingers in the back of his mind.  This unknown part of him was what kept him from killing the young woman.  Even now, it was urging him to move toward her, to ease her pain and everything that has given her sorrow.

With his keen hearing, he heard her call out his name.  Many times he had heard her say it, yet this time was different.  This time, her feelings made it clear in her voice.  And in a way, it made him feel warm.  With that feeling, Heero left.

Relena watched the young man leave her alone.  She repeated his name, but this time in a voice that was full of loneliness.

"Heero."

            Well, this is suspenseful, isn't it?  Okay, maybe not.  So what if the actions are taking a long time.  This is all part of the story.  And I'm going to make it a LONG one.  It will definitely have some twists on it.  Don't worry, the next part will be better.  That is a guarantee.  If it isn't, well, that will be my fault.

            If you want to read previous parts, go to Era-chan's Lovely Little Corner.  Hopefully, it will give you a thirst for more.  And now that I'm free to focus on this one, now that 'Finally Yours' and 'True Beings' are done, I'll have the next parts out sooner.  Cross your fingers, k?


	7. Part 7

            I've finally formatted this part.  And it has been a long time since I've finished anything.  This part sheds some light on a few mysteries that I've been hinting at.  So, being that standard disclaimers are still operational, I leave you to read this part peacefully.

The Second War Part 7 

By Era-chan

Sunlight pouring through the windows of the Peacecraft mansion, the occupants surrounding the large table eating their breakfast was subdued and quiet.  The night had passed, and now that Heero was back, the others couldn't wait for the Perfect Soldier to give them more information.  Lady Une and Sally Po had been summoned, after Noin had sent them a message that Heero Yuy had finally appeared.  Trepidation was in the air, yet they kept quiet and continued to eat.

Duo watched the others interact.  Though usually the cheerful one out of all of them, he had changed a lot.  Yes, he was still the lovable, annoying American, but his hidden persona had somehow let itself appear.  The years being on the street, having his adopted family killed, and being a soldier had made him grow up.  Thus, he was watching the people around him with the eyes of someone who had been where they had been, in one way or another.

Trowa was silent as ever.  A man of few words, Duo had thought that the young man had had a hard life.  As he had read about his friend from the files, he had learned that the young Latin pilot had been a soldier ever since childhood.  No formal education, but the young silent child had been taught by older soldiers, who had taken him under their wing.  The young child had been a good soldier, and still is.  This silence that had surrounded the young child had transpired into his adulthood.

Yet Duo could see that Trowa was coming out of his shell.  Ever since finding out that he was Catherine's biological younger brother, the one that she had thought was lost to her, he had finally began the step toward humanity.  Quatre had helped some, as did Heero, Duo was sure of that.  But the person that would truly help the young acrobat was the young blonde woman that was sitting across the table from him.  Midii had been strong enough to get out of bed to be with the others.  Now she was sitting between Dorothy and Meiran, eating her meal quietly and unobtrusively.  Duo had been searching for any signs that Trowa was not oblivious to the presence of the young beauty.  If he hadn't looked hard enough, he would have missed the flicker of movement that Trowa kept doing as the Latin pilot checked to see if she was alright.

Duo doesn't know the past between the mysterious blonde woman and the Latin pilot, but he knew that it was an important event for both of them.  He would have done something about it, like maybe tease Trowa about his feelings, but he was mature enough to understand that his friend needed the privacy and time to figure it out himself.

"Duo."

Duo shook himself from his thoughts and turned to his girlfriend.  Her dark blue eyes were staring at him intently.  He gave her his trademark smile, and put his arm on top of her chair.  They were so attuned to each other that he knew what she was about to say before she could say it aloud.

"Don't worry, babe.  I'm just thinking."

Hilde smiled understandingly.  Their years together had made her and Duo closer.  It had given them the time to open up to each other, about their pasts and feelings.  Though still young, they often teased each other that they were acting like a married couple.  Deep in their hearts, they were a married couple.  They knew that they would be together.  Two souls that was alike, finally together at last.

Hilde squeezed his hand, the one that was on top of her chair.  "I know."

Duo stared deep in his girlfriend's eyes thoughtfully.  He didn't have to tell her what he was thinking, because she already knew.  It was nice and amazing.  That he, a war orphan, had found someone that truly knew him, inside and out.  Hilde had stood by him for only a few years, yet he felt that she had been in his life far longer than that.  Their connection was strong, and would remain strong for the rest of their lives, Duo was sure of that.

With that thought, Duo turned to another couple that had been foremost in his mind.  He had never thought that Wufei had been married.  Frankly, he should have known, since it was in the Chinese culture of prearranged marriages.  It was not practiced that much, but since he assumed that Wufei's family and his wife must have been pretty proud and extensive, old traditions didn't fade away.  And he respected the privacy of his comrades, including Wufei's.  So it was a surprise that a young man who thought of women as inferior had a wife.  One that was supposed to be dead.

But Duo could see that Wufei was having second thoughts.  If the young Chinese was thinking like that, then Duo was positive that Wufei has feelings for Meiran.  Feelings that the proud Chinese wouldn't acknowledge at all.  Yet the reappearance of his 'dead' wife had made the feelings come into the fore.  It must be hard for the young couple.  Not that Duo was sure that the young Chinese woman was really Wufei's wife, but he had to keep an opened mind on matters, now that he had to fight again.

Duo mentally winced.  Yes, he definitely hated war.  He had become used to the peace that had settled down after the Mariemeia fiasco, and had been happy, too.  He didn't want to return to fighting, but his destiny had made sure that he had to.  It has hit the others hard too, Duo was sure.  Lives were disrupted, and peace was destroyed.  Humans had repeated the same mistakes once again.  And the ones who had to pay are the innocent lives that are caught in the maelstrom of war.  This cycle is being repeated over and over again.  No matter what other people do, sinister things will happen, even through the watchful eyes of the Preventers.

Duo turned his gaze toward the young blond couple near the end of the table.  They were quietly conversing to themselves and to the people around them.  Even though they were sitting across from each other, they had somehow talked to each other.  Their feelings for each other were apparent, except to each other.  Dorothy was too caught up in her shame, while Quatre tried to get her out of it.  It was a shame, really.  They would make a nice couple.  Though their past was rocky at best, the two like souls needed each other.  It was just some time before the two of them realized it for themselves.

"They look good together, don't they."

Duo chuckled.  He gave his girlfriend a sideways glance.  "You always know what I'm thinking."

Hilde giggled.  "Let's just say we think alike."

Duo turned to the blond man and the dark-haired woman sitting beside him.  "And what am I thinking now?"

Hilde followed his gaze.  She gazed at the older couple thoughtfully before she voiced her thoughts.  "You're thinking that Milliardo should ask her soon."

Duo grinned.  "He's not good at hiding stuff."

Hilde raised her brow.  "And you know this things?"

Duo nodded his head.  "Of course I do.  I'm the God of Death."

Hilde shook her head.  "Duo."

The young couple gazed at the older couple for a moment, then turned their attention to the young vice foreign minister and her bodyguard.  The young blonde woman was sitting at the other end of the table, across from her older brother, and conversing with Meiran quietly.  Her dark-haired bodyguard was to her right, eating his breakfast and not talking at all.

"I wish them happiness."

Duo turned to Hilde questioningly.

"She has so many people looking for her for guidance, and she doesn't have anyone to talk to about her problems."  Her attention turned to the stoic bodyguard.  "And as for him, he doesn't look too approachable."

"You may be right, but I know for sure that _he_ cares for her.  He just doesn't know it yet."

"I guess I could understand that.  I mean, from what you had told me about him, and from the brief interactions we had have, I could tell that Heero has had a hard time."

"And the only one who could open him up is sitting right beside him."

The young couple stared at the young vice foreign minister and her bodyguard.

"It's going to be hard for her."

Hilde squeezed his hand.  "I agree."

The door opened and two young women walked in.  Instantly, conversations were halted, and the occupants turned to the newcomers.

Lady Une gave them a nod of acknowledgement.  She motioned for Relena to stay seated, but she couldn't make Heero do the same.

Heero ignored the motion and had gotten out of his chair.  Then he turned to Relena.  "Are you finished eating?"

Relena nodded her head.

Heero turned his attention back to the two older women.  "It would be best if we talked at a secure place."

Sally raised her brow in inquiry.  "And that would be where, Heero?"

"I know a place."  He walked toward Relena and held out her chair for her to get up.  The others followed suit.

With Heero leading the way, the group went to down numerous hallways, which twisted many times.  This went on until Heero finally stopped at a door.  He opened it and walked inside.  As the rest walked in, Heero shut the door behind Wufei, who was the last one to get in.  He locked it and then went to a bureau.  The others stared curiously at what he was doing, watching him as the young man began to search the bureau for something.

Heero finally located the switch and flicked it.  At the far end of the room, the wall slid away, revealing a hidden stairway.  Duo whistled in admiration as Heero motioned for them to go inside.

The stairways led downward, lights automatically turning on as the group moved along.  It was a long way until the end of the stairs led toward a dark vast room.  It also lighted up as Trowa, the one who was leading them, stepped in.

As the rest of the group stepped in, they stared curiously at the room that they were in.  The walls were bare, and the only furniture within the room was a long table and chairs around it.  Automatic lights were hidden in the ceiling.  In a summary, a person that wanted no one to listen to any conversations going on in the room built the room.

Heero bade them to sit down.  As the group was settling down, Heero went to the wall opposite with the door, and put his palm on it.  The others watched as a light flashed briefly where the palm rested.  Immediately a panel appeared and Heero pressed some buttons.  A screen slid down from the ceiling.

Duo whistled in appreciation.  "Man, Heero.  You got the current gadgets installed in this room."

Wufei snorted.  "What would you expect from a Perfect Soldier, Maxwell?  Yuy has to have every gadgets that you can think of."

Duo acquiesced.  "Probably."

Heero ignored the conversation and went to the table.  He stopped at the seat next to Relena, and sat down.  Then he put his palm flat on the table and again a palm detector scanned him.

Trowa shook his head, admiration at the cautiousness and efficiency of the Japanese pilot.  No one except the Perfect Soldier would have done a thorough job at making sure that the room was imperceptible from intruders.

The rest of the group watched as Heero began to press on a touch-sensitive keyboard that appeared as the identification had been accepted.  Above the keyboard a screen let Heero watch what he was doing.  In a moment, the big screen turned on and began to scroll important documents for the others to read.

"What you are reading is one of the files that I've withheld."  Heero began to type again.  "You know that Grey is a bunch of organizations within one big organization, correct?"

Quatre agreed.  "That is what we found out from the files that you let us read, Heero."

"You have discovered a few of the sub organizations that encompassed Grey."  The big screen changed as Heero typed some keys.  "Like Black Falcon."  Again, the screen changed.  "Like Red Phoenix."  Then the screen changed back to the original file.  "This is another sub organization of Grey's."

The group looked at the screen.

"Clay."  Milliardo looked at the name thoughtfully.  "What does this organization do, Heero?"

Before Heero could reply, Meiran spoke up.

"I heard of this group.  They were in L5."  Meiran turned to the Japanese pilot.  "In fact, my cousin, Lee, worked there."

Wufei stiffened.  He stared at the Chinese woman angrily.  "Lee wouldn't work for Clay."

Meiran turned her gaze at her husband.  "You would think so, since Lee was close to you."  She added in a bitter tone, "Unlike me."

Wufei stared with contempt at his 'wife'.  "Even if you _are_ truly Meiran, she wouldn't have said that."

Meiran had had enough.  She stood up from her chair and faced her husband squarely.  "You don't know what my feelings are, Wufei.  If you have, you would know what I think of you."

The way that she said it brought an unpleasant feeling in Wufei's chest.  He ignored it and returned the attack, standing up so that the he could face her equally.  "Why should I?  You're not _my_ wife!"

Silence permeated the room after the outburst.  The two combatants drew deep breaths, their feelings too near the surface.  Meiran hid the hurt from her husband's constant denial of her identity, staring coldly at the Chinese man.  Wufei had seen the fleeting emotion pass through her eyes, the only way that he could always find out what she was thinking.  The others tried not to stare, uncomfortable at the quarrel that they had witnessed between the two Chinese youths.  Except for Heero, who decided to intervene.

"Wufei."

Wufei felt glad at the intrusion.  He turned his attention to the Perfect Soldier, who was staring at him calmly.  "Yuy."

"When you held your wife as she died, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

Wufei frowned.  "What do you mean?"

"Any tattoos and such."

Meiran opened her mouth to reply that she didn't have any tattoos on her body, but one look at the stoic young man and she closed her mouth to listen to her husband's answer.

Wufei thought of the moment when he had held his wife as she died in his arms.  He hadn't seen anything unusual, except feeling the loss of his wife.  As he had gathered her into his arms, he had seen some numbers on the inside wrist of her right hand.  He hadn't given it one thought.  Now that he thought about it, those numbers were something new, since he knew that she doesn't had any tattoos or the like on her body.  They were a married couple, and had in an occasion or two seen each other undressed, since they were sharing the same bedroom.

"There were some numbers on her right wrist."

Heero began to type.  After a moment, he found what he was looking for.  "Are the numbers 1965377?"

Wufei felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, but gave his reply.  "Yes."

Heero began to type; the screen changed as he opened one file.  He read what was written aloud, even if the others could read it themselves.

"Subject: 1965377.  Data: Cloned from Meiran Chang, 1965377 was one successful subject that we let out.  Other than 5824960, she was our first female clone that we have.  With the help of Lee, who suggested his cousin as the subject, he had persuaded his cousin to go to his lab, never knowing that her usual doctor's appointment was truly a façade for his experiment.  The first assignment of 1965377 was an attack on the L5 colony.  The task would have been successful except for the Gundam and Meiran Chang.  It would seem that the opponent of 1965377 was Meiran Chang.  The explosion between the two mechs suits caused 1965377 to lose her soldier persona and act like the true Meiran Chang.

Wufei Chang, the husband of Meiran Chang, found 1965377.  In her last breath, 1965377 said her last words to her 'husband'.  Then 1965377 was no more.  As for the real Meiran Chang, no sign has been found of her body.  It is believed that she is lost and dead."

Heero turned to Wufei.  He let the report sink in before he confirmed it.  "The woman across from you _is_ Meiran Chang."  He paused, then let the bombshell out.  "_Your_ wife."

Wufei took an involuntary step back.  His eyes clashed with the eyes of the Chinese woman across from him.  He couldn't believe it. His wife is truly alive.  Not dead, nor a clone.  The unbelieving news was a shock to him.  And to Meiran, as he saw from the emotion that shone from her dark eyes.

Heero saw the disbelief in Wufei's eyes, so turned to Meiran.  "Meiran, can you show us your right wrist?"

Meiran hesitantly raised her hand, feeling the penetrating eyes of her husband.  Slowly she brought her sleeve away from her wrist, showing the smooth skin unblemished with any numbers.

The last confirmation was enough.  Wufei sat down on his chair, never taking his eyes away from the woman across from him.  He had never thought it possible, but now he had a family.  And that Lee, one of his cousin-in-law that he respected, was working for Grey.

Right now, though, was not the time to dwell on this revelation.  He had many things to tell Meiran, especially his apology.  She was the first woman who earned his respect; and he had accused her of many unthinkable things.  Not believing her, foremost of his stupidity, he wondered if she would forgive him.  If she didn't, he rightly deserved her scorn.

The other Gundam pilots saw his predicament, and decided to change the topic.  It was again Heero who intervened.  He closed the file of 1965377 and scrolled down.  He didn't mince words.  "I suggest that both of you talk at a time suitable for privacy."  He raised his eyes to the Chinese couple for a moment before returning his attention to the screen, changing the subject.  "Dr. Lee, by the way, is still alive."  He let the implications settle into the young Chinese man's mind, then continued on.  "As for Clay, it is still operational.  As for 5824960, the first successful male clone, it too was eliminated."  He clicked at the file of 5824960.

"Subject: 5824960.  Data:  Our first clone, 5824960 was unleashed to the world, his name and prestige making him a good candidate for leadership.  He led Oz with outstanding charisma, and had even a loyal subordinate that has a split personality.  With our help, he even built a Gundam with the Zero system installed."

Milliardo paled.  Lady Une blanched, trying not to believe at what the Japanese man was telling them.  The former couldn't believe that the friend that he talked and conversed with was not who he thought he was, while the latter just doesn't want to believe that the beloved man that she knew was truly a clone.

Heero had given the two a sidelong glance, and had seen the reactions that the revolution had made to the two older people.  Yet he continued on, knowing it was best for all of them to find out the truth of the clone 5824960.

"At the end of the war, in the final battle, the Gundam pilot of 05, Wufei Chang, finally killed 5824960.  Yet the true Treize Kushrenada is still within our possession.  It is our hope that more clones will be begotten from the man, with some alterations."  Heero clicked the file closed and opened another.  This one was short and to the point.  "Subject: 584961.  Data:  Changing the color of his hair to blond, the successor of 5824960 is truly a born leader.  Truly the man [Treize Kushrenada] has huge potential to our clones.  We had sent 5824961 to the main headquarters of Grey.  There he will hone his leadership skills for the upcoming war."

It was Duo who voiced all their thoughts out loud.  He loudly stood up from his chair, gesturing angrily.  "This is nuts!!  What they are doing is preposterous."

Quatre nodded his head in agreement.  "I agree with Duo.  What Grey has done is horrible.  They are abusing human life by creating clones trained to kill people."  There was sadness in his eyes.  "This has made it clear that we have to let the people know about Grey."

Sally cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.  "With all due respect, shouldn't we take the first step right now to alert the people?"

"Not until we have a more information about Grey and its subdivisions."  Trowa turned to Heero.  "Is there any more than what we know so far, Heero?"

 "There may be more than in this files.  But even so, I agree with Sally.  The people should be alerted.  Even now, as we speak, Clay may be doing their experiments on innocent people to serve their needs.  They are building an army that is suitable for their militia, trained to become soldiers from their 'birth'.  They are experimenting on human guinea pigs for their curiosity.  We still do not know everything about Grey.  What we do know is enough to get an idea of what we will do as we prepare for the war."  Heero didn't have to tell them implicitly that war was inevitable.  No other option was open for them.  If they want to eliminate Grey, then they have to fight with an army of themselves.

Milliardo turned thoughtful eyes to the young Japanese man, recovered from the earlier news about his friend.  "You have a point there, Yuy.  The faster that the people know, the better we are prepared."  He steeple his fingers in front of him.  "However, I think that maybe we better have a head start to extinguish as much as we can."

Lady Une agreed.  "This is a major situation we have here.  It would be better if the Preventers get down to business."  She sighed.  "This is going to take a long time.  Many people will die, both innocent and guilty.  That is something we have to think about."

"I agree."  Noin turned to the others.  "What we have been doing is making sure that the Preventers are prepared.  But now that we know about this Clay organization, we have to make sure that it won't continue on experimenting."  Underneath the table, she rested her hand on top of her best friend's, squeezing it in comfort.  "Especially since we have to find out the victims and get them out of Clay."

"And get rid of the clones."  Sally stared at the screen in disgust.  "Whoever the clones are, they have been in society for way too long.  We have to infiltrate everywhere to get rid of them."  She sighed.  "Though they may be clones, it will feel weird to kill them."

Dorothy frowned.  "What do you mean?"

"I mean, they may be people we know, and had befriended.  And now that we know that they are clones…it makes it harder for us.  They may be replicas, but they are still human."

"They may look human, but they are not."  Heero gave the hard facts.  "We have to eliminate them because they work for Grey. Their only loyalty is to Grey, and whatever jobs they are in are being reported to the organization."

Duo shook his head.  "Sheesh, this is getting more complicated every second."  He turned his gaze to the Japanese pilot.  "Is there any more that you what to tell us, Heero?"

Heero turned to the screen, his fingers flying through the keyboard.  The screen changed and a new file came up.  He clicked on one of the sub-files and opened it.  "Here is the complete list of the sub-organizations of Grey.  What I have on the screen is the—"

The screen blinked.  Heero stopped explaining and stared at the red light in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  He stood up and went to the door, disappearing up the stairs.

The others turned to each other.  They wondered what was going on, but kept quiet.  Their attention shifted back toward the door as Heero appeared with two canines.  Hiro and Ririna.

The two dogs ran toward their mistress, who patted them on the head as they came to her.  Relena raised questioning eyes toward the dogs' trainer, who had stopped right next to her, typing busily at the keyboard.  She finally spoke for the first time since the meeting began.  "Heero, what's wrong?"

Heero didn't answer at first.  He kept typing, shutting down the computer.  Then he walked toward the screen, to raise it up again.  When everything was back, he turned back to the group.  He finally answered the question.

"It seems that we have a traitor inside the house."

Immediately the group became alert.  Instantaneously the Gundam pilots got out of their chairs, ready to go find the traitor.  Heero ignored them and went to the dogs.  He went down on one knee and spoke to them in his native language.  The dogs listened alertly, then they turned toward the door, agilely running up the stairs and were out of sight within seconds.

Heero got up and walked toward the door.  He stopped beside the door and turned around.  He waited.

Relena instinctively knew whom he was waiting for.  She got up from her chair and walked toward him.  When she reached him, he turned back toward the doors and ascended the stairs, the young blond woman following him.

The rest stared at where the young couple had been for a moment, then they took action.  The three older women shook their heads, while the older Peacecraft raised his brows thoughtfully before following the three women.  The four younger women were next.  Lastly, the four Gundam pilots ascended the stairs.

The group was back at the room where they had come from.  As the last Gundam pilot stepped inside, the wall that hid the secret room slid back into place.  Heero took one look at the room before he opened the door and led the group outside into the hallway.

They walked down many hallways, Heero leading the way and the rest following, curious as to whom the traitor was.  There was no way that they would let that person continue spying on them.  Grey was never going to know what is going on inside the Peacecraft mansion.  The traitor was a reminder to them that they have to be extremely careful for now on.  Everything was going in motion, and it was never a good idea if the enemy knew their moves.

Heero stopped in front of a door, opening it without hesitation.  Inside waited Hiro and Ririna, who were keeping a young woman at one corner of the room.  She looked up, her hard eyes staring coolly at the group, who stared right back at her.  Heero stopped beside the two canines, who didn't let down their guards.

Relena went up to Heero.  "Katrina, why are you working for Grey?"

The young woman looked puzzled.  "Grey?  I don't know this Grey that you are working about."

Duo took a step forward.  "Stop lying!  Whom are you working for?"

Katrina opened her mouth, but hesitated as she saw the intimidating stare of the young man in front of her.  Instead she opted for the truth.  "I work for you, but I also work for Kaiser Korporation."  She straightened herself.  "It is in my file."

Duo was about to say more but Heero glanced at him to shut his mouth.  He turned to Katrina, a dark-haired youth about the same age as the four older people within the group.  He let the silence lengthen, which made the young woman become uncomfortable as the time slipped away.

Finally Heero spoke.  "It is true that it is in your file.  But your file doesn't say that you have been trained as a soldier from Fort Worth, and that your real name isn't Katrina Heaton."  He paused.  "Isn't that right, 5974182?"

The clone stiffened.  "How did you…?"

Heero interrupted her.  "Your training is not complete, 5974182.  Or else you would have done an incredible job unintentionally giving information to Kaiser Korporation."

5974182 wrinkled her nose in disdain.  "Well, I couldn't become the 'perfect' soldier like the others, so they sent me here."  She sneered.  "And that's all I'm going to tell you scum."  She raised her hand toward her body.

Heero barked an order to the dogs, and immediately Hiro attacked the clone.  'Katrina' screeched in pain, and struggled to get the dog off her.  But Ririna decided then to attack the clone that same moment.  Now with both arms occupied, the clone watched helplessly as the six Gundam pilots went up to her.

Carefully skirting the two canines, Trowa and Wufei each took a hold of her arms, while Heero commanded the dogs to release her.  Duo got the pair of handcuffs from Sally and put them on the clone.  Without releasing their holds on the clone, Wufei and Trowa marched her out of the room.  Quatre led the three people out of the room, with Heero's order of where to put her in.  Only the three Gundam pilots, seven women, and two dogs were left in the room.

Relena stared after the door where the other three Gundam pilots and their traitor had left.  She couldn't believe that someone inside the Peacecraft mansion was a traitor.  And a clone, no less!  This revelation had shaken her more than she had thought.  Now she wouldn't feel safe within the walls of the magnificent mansion.  If a spy could integrate into the household, without her knowledge, the people under her service would be in danger.

"It's not your fault."

Relena looked up at the Prussian blue eyes that could see through her thoughts.  This wonderful young man who does not believe himself worthy of love.  _Her_ love.  She knew that he still didn't believe that happiness should be granted to him.  And his silence from making any decision concerning her confession was slowly killing her inside.  Now that he was back in her life, she wanted to make _his_ life full of love from her.  It hurt when she saw his withdrawal from the others, never giving himself away at all.  Always the perfect soldier, never letting emotions cloud his judgment and his mission.

Heero saw the myriad of emotions flashing through her eyes.  Inwardly, he wondered, again, why she wanted _him_.  But reflections over emotions and one beautiful young woman should be put in the back of his mind.  Right now, there was the matter of this new situation to be taken care of.  And to quell the guilt from taking root within the vice foreign minister's soul.

Heero turned to the older Peacecraft.  The two men stared at each other silently.  Finally, Heero spoke.

"You were in charge of hiring the staff."

Milliardo acknowledged the accusation calmly.  Usually, he would take offense, especially coming from his rival.  But he was feeling a little bit of guilt, since he was the one in charge of hiring the staff.  Besides that, he knew that the young Japanese man was acting upon his feelings for his younger sister.  Though he was sure that the younger man didn't know why he was deeply protective of the vice foreign minister.  He was resigned to the fact that Relena was still in love with his former rival, but that doesn't mean that the rivalry between the two Gundam pilots never diminished.

"I know that.  I'll review the staff again."  Milliardo waited for the young man to voice his opinions.

Heero imperceptibly nodded his head.  "I'll help you."  He turned to the rest of the group, his eyes resting on Relena.  He stared at her thoughtfully, and then turned his gaze to the two dogs.  Using his native language, he gave them their new orders.  Hiro and Ririna wagged their tails and walked out of the room.  They stopped at the doorway, and waited.

"They'll escort you to your office, Relena."  Heero turned to the others.  His gaze rested on the women.  "It would be best if all of you follow her.  That way, you have access to the computers and telephones."  He paused.  "All are secured."

Lady Une nodded her head.  "That is a wise idea, Yuy.  It would be the best place to have another meeting.  I'd better notify the Preventers."  She began to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Lady Une."

Lady Une paused, then turned around to the Gundam pilot.  "Yes, Yuy?"

"It would be best if Duo came with you.  That way, he could send me the files of all the Preventers.  I'll cross-examine them with the files that I have."

"Understood."  With that, Lady Une left.

Sally stepped forward.  "I'll help Lady Une.  If you would excuse me."  With a nod, she followed the brunette woman out of the room.

The rest of the women turned toward the door.  Relena gave one last glance at Heero before she left with the others.  Hiro and Ririna followed her after the women left the room.

Duo turned to Heero.  "Now what?"

Heero stared back calmly.  "Now we get the Gundams."

            Intriguing, isn't it?  Well, the answers will come in due time.  This story is going to be long, in my estimation.  I still have to write more interactions among the people, which I'm going to write as much as I can before I write the actual war.  There are so many characters to focus on that the real action will take a while to really write about.

            In the next part, I'll be focusing on a character that I had mentioned earlier, but hadn't taken the time to focus on.  The part will largely be on her and her sibling's relationship with his partner.  And if you can, please visit my site, Era-chan's Lovely Little Corner.  I would be extremely glad if you can.


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